Where to buy Christmas decorations in Toronto

When it comes to seasonal and holiday decorating I myself am, well, pretty pathetic — just ask my kids. I do the bare minimum: at Halloween it’s the pumpkin, at Christmas it’s the tree and a few outdoor lights (LED of course!) and that’s about it. To be honest with you, I’m more of a baker. I’d whip up a batch of nanaimo bars or shortbread cookies in exchange for someone else decorating my house in a heart beat (But they’d also have to come and take it all down right after Christmas is over!). I realize, however, that there are a lot of people out there who love to decorate for the season.

So, since I recognize that I’m no authority on Christmas decorating shopping, I asked someone who is: Chris Jones from StyleNorth.ca. Chris has given me a list of his favourite places to purchase Christmas decorations in and around Toronto, and since Chris’ website is all about budget shopping, he’s kept that in mind with his list. Enjoy and happy decorating!

If you have a favourite shop or antique market for decorations, add it in the Comments Section following this post.

Where to buy Christmas Decorations

By Chris Jones

I’m a big fan of vintage Christmas ornaments because they take me back to
my childhood. My favorite place to find them is the St. Lawrence Antiques
Market (Sundays 7 am - 1 pm). Great prices on lovely old ornaments,
lights and table top display pieces like nativity scenes and reindeers and
sleds.

Toronto has fabulous museums and galleries and their gift shops have really
special and not particularly expensive holiday decorations. The Gardiner
Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario are both excellent spots for seasonal
items and the gift shops are free to browse.

Winners and Homesense are obvious standbys for decorative items that
won’t break the bank. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Hanukah
display at Winners’ Bloor Street location last week and the ornaments
were pretty and inexpensive.

For hipper, higher-end decorations you can hardly go wrong with
Crate&Barrel (Yorkdale Mall, 3401 Dufferin Street,) and West Elm (109
Atlantic Ave.).

The One of a Kind Show, on now until Dec. 7, has fantastic Christmas
decorations, some cheaper than others but all really lovely. I saw Xmas
wreaths made from shiny tree ornaments and some wonderful handmade
trimmings. Similarly, check out the Poppytalk Handmade website
(http://www.poppytalkhandmade.com/) for a variety of handcrafted seasonal
decorations, many less expensive than you might think.

A Christmas Trim (334 Kingston Rd) is a crazy jumble of a store that
carries a riot of seasonal decorations in a wide range of prices.

One of the designers of the Gardiner’s Twelve Trees of Christmas, Maria Ramirez of MDR Design Consultants, highly recommended Royal Green Enterprises, a florist/giftware wholesaler in Mississauga that sells to the public and stocks a wide range of Christmas decorations at very good prices.

And don’t forget Dollar Stores. Nearly all of the designers creating the
Gardiner Museum’s Twelve Trees of Christmas (on display until Dec. 10)
found at least some of their decorations at Dollar Stores. The airplanes on
the tree in the detail pic are small wooden toys, sprayed white and
repurposed as ornaments. Be creative!

Posted by CathyR