I shopped at Michaels and Hobby Lobby for holiday decor, and one really blew me away

Walking into Hobby Lobby felt like entering a home fully adorned in its holiday best.

The entrance had a bed with seasonal quilts and throw pillows and large ceramic figurines of Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The displays were so beautiful that I immediately felt inspired to try new things in my holiday decor this year.

My local Michaels' entryway didn't feel festive at all. Although there were some artificial wreaths and garlands, there wasn't much else.

I like to feel enveloped in holiday spirit as soon as I enter a store during this time of year, so I was disappointed.

Hobby Lobby had several entire aisles dedicated to tableware, all grouped together for easy shopping. The variety was nice, too, with items ranging from poinsettia table runners to wine glasses adorned with cardinals.

We're big entertainers during the holiday season, so I love stocking up on different cloth napkins, kitchen towels, and other items that add to my kitchen and dining-room decor.

At Hobby Lobby, the options felt endless, and the displays felt organized.

Michaels had seasonal tableware, but it felt harder to find.

Many aisles at Michaels were divided by theme, from nutcracker ballet to reindeer. Each section grouped all items from a certain theme together, from serving plates to wall decor.

This layout would be fantastic if you were shopping for lots of pieces that matched a certain aesthetic, but I prefer to see all of the plates or dish towels together so I can pick the ones I like.

My family has used the same Christmas stockings since my kids were small. Still, Hobby Lobby made me feel tempted to buy a new round of stockings just because.

I found designs with ballet slippers, snowmen, unicorns, candy canes, and so much more. It felt like there was truly a stocking design for every member of the family.

There's something quaint about those traditional chocolate-filled advent calendars with little doors that open each day leading up to Christmas to reveal a tasty prize.

Michaels had a pretty impressive selection of themed advent calendars featuring recognizable characters from Marvel, Nintendo, and other huge franchises.

Since Hobby Lobby is a Christian-owned retailer, it's no surprise that it had a huge selection of more faith-based holiday decor.

I found beautiful angel tree toppers and ornate nativity sets on display. Michaels had a few nativity items, too, but not nearly as many as Hobby Lobby.

Another iconic part of the holiday season, Elf on the Shelf was on full display at Michaels.

My store had several varieties of elfs, plus accessories, books, and other merchandise to pair with them.

If your family is big on Santa's scout elves and their antics, Michaels is the place to shop for everything you need this year.

Hobby Lobby's holiday-craft section was really impressive.

There were aisles upon aisles of supplies perfect for holiday crafters, from beads and glitter glue to scented markers and stickers.

Michaels had a few endcaps set up with holiday crafting supplies, from colorful jingle bells to beads to craft kits for kids.

Although I didn't spot as many festive supplies at Michaels as I did at Hobby Lobby, both stores carried enough of a selection that any holiday crafter could keep busy all season long.

Hobby Lobby excelled at stocking entire collections of merchandise for beloved characters.

I found full sections filled with linens, crafts, baking supplies, and more adorned with the familiar images of iconic characters, like the Grinch and Hello Kitty.

Michaels had an endcap that contained a few Hanukkah items like chocolate gelt coins and themed paper goods.

Hobby Lobby had nothing of the sort, making Michaels the winner for representing other winter holidays besides Christmas.

Since discovering the @blacksantaexists Instagram account several years ago, I've tried to diversify my own Santa collection at home, so all of my guests see themselves represented in my holiday decor.

Although I didn't find many Black Santa items at Hobby Lobby in 2023, the chain seemed to improve on its selection's diversity this year.

I was pleased to find mugs depicting Black Santa and Mrs. Claus and Black angel tree toppers.

Michaels also sold numerous Black Santa items as well, from throw pillows to wooden signs.

Although Michaels seemed to have more Santa representation last winter, both stores seemed to have pretty equal footing this year.

Both stores had a great, broad selection of ornaments for gamers, home cooks, and even shark enthusiasts like my 14-year-old daughter — I got her two glittery glass sharks at Hobby Lobby.

In addition to themed glass ornaments, there were also large packs of shatter-resistant ball ornaments at both stores.

Both stores also stocked many options for artificial Christmas trees.

Either retailer would be a great place to look if you're in the market for one this year. I found a variety of options for heights, widths, price ranges, and colors.

Although I certainly don't need another holiday item to collect, I was tempted by the cute display of gingerbread people at Hobby Lobby.

Gingerbread characters in different poses and outfits were scattered throughout the store in all sizes, styles, and heights.

I love buying a nutcracker at Michaels each year since I've found the retailer typically has unique collections of them.

This year, I spotted nutcrackers skiing, wearing biker jackets, and even holding cookies. I added a zebra nutcracker with a pink jacket and drum to my collection.

As a huge fan of Hobby Lobby's holiday decor, I only wish the store was a bit closer to my home. The nearest one is about 40 minutes away, so I don't visit as many times as I'd like to during the holiday season.

Still, whenever errands take me to that part of town, you can bet your candy cane I'll be stopping into Hobby Lobby to peruse its gorgeous aisles of holiday decor and pick up a few new items.

Although my local Michaels' selection of holiday decor felt less organized and a bit smaller than what I found at Hobby Lobby, it's still a great spot to shop this season.

In fact, since my side-by-side comparison visit to both stores, I've run back to my closest Michaels (a five-minute drive from my home) twice for some last-minute items I needed to put up this year's holiday decor.