15 of the Best Target Holiday Items to Shop for the Merriest Season Ever

We’ve always hung up our holiday cards with red, green, and gold washi tape, but this year, I’m switching things up. This tree shaped rope wood card holder is so fun and so functional. The horizontal slats feature grooved detailing to fit your cards, safely and securely, and with the loop on top, you can hang it anywhere in your home. It’s a great alternative Christmas tree idea if you’re in a smaller place and don’t have room for a bulky Douglas fir.

And while you wait for holiday cards to start arriving in your mailbox, use the card holder as a place to display some favorite photos from your family holiday session or more simply your best photos from the whole year.

Who said that wreaths could only be green and red? A neutral look works just as well to add some festive flair to your home. Subbing in cream-colored fabric pom-poms with little gold bell accents, this lustrous wreath makes for a unique and softly-glowing decor piece that almost reminds us of Santa’s beard a bit. Right?

Stockings don’t always have to be hung by the chimney with care. Where there’s a hook there’s a way, and that’s exactly what these darling stocking holders from Opalhouse bring to the table (or ledge or mantel or credenza, etc.). The piece showcases a flat wooden base with the word "Joy" in a red hue, adding a delightful touch of merriment to your seasonal displays. Plus, the natural finish allows for easy coordination with the rest of your decor. The weighted construction helps it to sit flat on a ledge, as well as hold up to three pounds of a filled stocking. If you have just-walking infants or toddlers at home, just be sure to keep it out of reach — while it’s not made of metal, it can still fall since it’s not nailed into the wall.

Throw pillows are always a good idea, if you ask us. And we’re obsessed with this holiday iteration from Opalhouse X Jungalow. The colors are so vibrant and saturated, and they pop against an otherwise neutral backdrop (modern minimalist palettes like cream, green, and light woods). This velvet throw features a white embroidered menorah design accented with light blue tassels and colorful tips on a rich navy background. You can really mix and match with color, shapes, and textures to give a lounge or living room a seriously illuminating upgrade in honor of the festival of lights.

A few years ago, I went to a holiday-themed paint and sip class with all of the girls in my family (sister, mom, aunt, cousins) and we all came home with reindeer canvases. Mine didn’t turn out all that bad, so after a sweet “Mommy, that looks great!” nod from my then 2.5 year old son, I hung it up in his room for the duration of the holiday season. Ever since then, come December 1st, we break it out, hang it up, and then create a cute little gallery wall in his bedroom (using his own artwork from preschool, family photos, etc.). And these Wondershop prints would make such a playful addition to any kids’ seasonal accent walls. This one says “Let’s Get Cozy” on a peach and red glitter-striped cuff Santa hat, but there are other sweet sketches and tidings like reindeer, Santa, presents, “Noel,” “Oh, What Fun,” and “Let It Snow.”

Holiday baking is festive to begin with, but what better way to infuse some holiday magic into the mix than with conversational spatulas? We have a sweet spot for the “All Is Bright” batter bestie, but the stripes and holly berry takes are perfect trimmings to a modern kitchen. So, frost some crimson cupcakes or stir up a batch of double fudge brownies with kitchen tools that feel extra special. The kids will love them, too! I’ve been introducing my son to my favorite holiday baking shows as of late, and he’s already chimed in with requests to deck out our kitchen like a Bavarian sweet shop .… Thankfully, the upcoming holidays will help make it happen.

Baking with the kiddos can get really messy, but if they have their hearts set on making cookies for Santa, then maybe you can talk them into painted pastries? This Christmas art set includes everything you need to create eight wooden cookie shapes — a stocking, a snowman, a carrot, a milk bottle, a gingerbread man, a Christmas tree, a bell, and a snowflake — along with paints and stickers to decorate them. Have your own kind of paint and sip party, with actual milk and cookies, and then once your crafting session is over, use the enclosed decorative cloth to stage a sweet display.

When Christmas Day arrives, if you’ll be hosting family and friends for dinner, ask your littles to help you put out the wooden cookies as unique place settings for each guest! Not only will your kids enjoy a fun tablescaping tutorial, they’ll be able to kick off conversation with everyone later on.

In a multicolored and white lights world, peppermint lights are a refreshing twist on tradition. These lights create an inviting glow across a variety of spaces, both indoor and out. Depending on where you want to hang them, you’ll probably need to buy a few packages (the lit length is only 6’), but that’s the beauty of a lighting look like this. It’s more for accenting and creating a statement. Just off the top of our heads, you can wow your neighbors and create a fun Saturday or Sunday morning moment for your kids with an outdoor hot cocoa stand. Style your setup with all the toppings, sprinkles, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and caramel drizzles, and then hang these lights up as your final touch.

Does your little love the train that goes around the tree? Mine too! That’s why I’m excited to get this tree and train kit from Mondo Llama ahead of our own tree hunting expedition. The art set includes everything you need to create a cardboard Christmas tree and six train cars, with panels already decked out in festive fashion. Your kiddos can color in the images with crayons, markers, or colored pencils and add embellishments of their choosing, then assemble the panels to create a decorative holiday display. The lightweight cardboard construction provides easy assembly and versatile use; we can see it being the perfect way to occupy the kids if a holiday party is happening at home. Or a great thing for them to work on over the month of December — and to make their bedrooms even cooler for the holiday season.

How on-point would this be for a Friday night spent at home with the kids? The colorful, voice-amplifying microphone has three settings that change the tone and pitch of your voice to sound like Santa, an elf, or a snowman, and it plays three classic Christmas songs: “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Jingle Bells.” If these jingles get old, then whip out all of your old Now! Christmas CDs and keep the singalong going.

It’s a little known fact that if you plan a holiday movie night or a baking marathon, there must be hot chocolate and said hot chocolate must be sipped from a mug that makes sense for the occasion. This stoneware snowman is part of Threshold’s collection that is quickly selling out (the gingerbread house and gingerbread buddies are out of stock, but Santa and some elves are still available), so the quicker you can get your hands on him (literally), the better! It’s suitable for both hot and cold beverages, so if your littles would prefer chocolate milk instead — topped with some peppermint whipped cream and sprinkles, they should have at it!

Who else had holiday village scenes scattered throughout their homes growing up? I always loved taking all the ceramic or porcelain pieces out and setting them up, but it was kind of a “Look, but don’t touch” situation. That’s what’s so amazing about the Hearth & Hand with Magnolia vignettes: They’re all made out of wood, so they’re still decorative, but not nearly as delicate. You can find the toy cabins and cottages in store or have them delivered, but much of the props, accessories, and figurines are available online, like these woodland animals. Unlike a lot of the holiday miniatures we grew up with, these are meant to be played with!

Family Halloween costumes are awesome, but we might love fam jams for the holidays a teeny bit more. Hearth & Hand with Magnolia (Chip and Joanna Gaines’ game-changing lifestyle brand) released three matchable sets this year, and we can’t play favorites, so you’ll have to check them all out: Tartan Plaid, Holiday Plaid, and Fair Isle patterns. Whether you’re breaking out the board games with Christmas classics in the background or hunkering down on the couch for ALL the Hallmark movie magic, your family fashion game will be #HolidayStrong. We also love that the PJs are soft, lightweight, and more winter-inspired than Christmas-forward, because they can be worn long after the decorations come down. I say this as a mom who always feels just a tad self-conscious when my littles are still wearing Santa fleece in late February 🤷🏻‍♀️.

The first big snow storm might still be at least a month away, but why not get ready for it a little earlier this year? We absolutely adore this DIY snowman kit that includes everything you and your little snowballs need to build a chic and — more importantly — complete snowman. Made with wood for a beautiful finish, the hat, eyes, carrot-shaped nose, pipe and buttons are truly picture-perfect. And once the snow creation starts to melt, everything can be stashed in the convenient carrying bag and saved for next time.

Not to say that the mismatched aesthetic of mom’s scarf, dad’s slightly-ripped hat, and a potpourri of tiny and oversized buttons doesn’t pull on our heartstrings. It absolutely does. But sometimes, a Chip and Joanna Gaines-imagined Frosty is more fierce.

Wrapping paper is gorgeous, but just thinking about the marathon of measuring, cutting, wrapping, and taping is already giving us anxiety. Save yourself from the stress of packaging up presents with these adorable gift boxes in blush, red, and white, with luxe gold trim. They also add some nice contrast to traditionally-wrapped gifts and gift bags. You know, for all of the “before the kids came” snaps you’ll inevitably take for the Gram!