What Are the Christmas Color Favorites?

Red, green, silver, and gold have long been the colors of Christmas. Retailers say although the tried and true remain the perennial favorites for customers, there are some new color trends for 2021.

“We carry it all [for trees],” said Jo Ann Hershberger, owner, ‘Tis the Season. “We are seeing some of the darker colors, like navy blue and hunter green. Green was always a hard color for us because the ornaments and décor blend in with the tree. Our designer has arranged the ornaments in such a way, though, that they are selling.”

Cummins said many of their customers do their tree all in one color or one theme. Cori Rice, owner of The Christmas

Cori Rice, owner, The Christmas House, McCall, Idado. Rice said whimsical colors such as pink and blush are a trend this year.

House, is seeing customers buy a range of color palettes. “The traditional colors always do well. What I’ve been seeing this year are more whimsical colors. We’re seeing a lot of pink and blush. A lot of bright, shiny, multi-colored garlands.”

Owner Dustin Kline of Snow and Ice Christmas and Gift Store, said in his area, customers still prefer the standard red and green with some silver and some blue. “We’ll have some folks who are doing specialty themes, but very traditional is still the top pick. The feedback we get from customers—they are looking to increase the number of years they can use those items. Even if they do something a little different the next year, they can build upon what they have.” ❖ enjoyable elements of working in retail. Christmas shops take their displays to new levels, often giving their associates plenty of creative license to put together something truly magical and inspiring. Hershberger has brought a new designer on board and is thrilled with her work. “We decorate about 80 trees in just about any color or theme. Our new designer is amazing. Every tree is unique with its design. We’re surprised how many black ornaments we’ve been selling this year, and a lot of navy. I’m convinced merchandising is key.” Hershberger said rearranging the displays to incorporate lingering merchandise has been very effective. “We have things that are different from things we’ve had in the past,” she said. “For instance, we’ve had a set of holiday dishes, but now our designer has added linens [to pull the look together]. If you have a good designer, they know how to display items to make them sell. Merchandising is 100 percent of selling. If a customer can’t see it, they won’t buy it.” Cummins said the team at Jingle Bells just brought in a new display cabinet for their Old World ornaments. “They were getting a bit overlooked. We put them in a case and arranged them differently and they’ve been selling like crazy. [Merchandising] makes a world of difference.” Rice said, “That’s where the fun comes in. I like layering items and using height variances. I like to keep themes together. For instance, I have a ‘pinecone’ table with everything from extra-large pinecones as a centerpiece to tableware with pinecones. I’ve been complimented on our displays. I tend to do most of them because I think I’m a little more adventurous, but I like to give my employees some creative license to arrange new displays. I like to incorporate traditional retail displays with antique fixtures. I think merchandising and displays is number one.” ❖

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