Published on 21 Dec 2025

Walmart Christmas Home Decor Clearance Guide

Every January, I tell myself I’m not buying more Christmas decor. And then Walmart rolls out their clearance aisle and I’m standing there with a car...

Walmart Christmas Home Decor Clearance Guide

t full of 70%-off reindeer wondering what just happened.

If you’ve ever had that same “How did I spend $80 on ornaments?” moment, this Walmart Christmas Home Decor Clearance Guide is for you. I’ve spent the last few post-holiday seasons testing strategies, tracking markdown patterns, and yes, shamelessly scanning barcodes in crowded aisles.

Here’s exactly how I work the Walmart clearance game so Christmas decor basically pays for itself the following year.

When Walmart Actually Marks Down Christmas Decor

In my experience, timing is everything. I used to assume clearance started in mid-January. That’s way too late.

Here’s the rough pattern I’ve seen over multiple years (and it lines up closely with what other bargain hunters share in deal forums and Reddit threads):

Dec 26–27: 50% off most Christmas decor, wrapping, lights, inflatables
Around Dec 30–Jan 2: 75% off (this is my sweet spot)
First or second week of January: 90% off at some stores, but selection is really picked over

When I tested this at my local Supercenter last year, Christmas pillows that were $14.98 on December 24 were ringing up $3.74 on January 2. Same item, same barcode, wildly different price.

Walmart Christmas Home Decor Clearance Guide

The tricky part: it’s not perfectly uniform nationwide. Store managers have some flexibility depending on how much stock is left and how fast they need seasonal aisles cleared.

Pro tip: I always confirm markdowns by scanning items with the Walmart app instead of trusting the shelf tags. Half the time, the app shows the new clearance price before employees update signage.

What To Buy (And What To Skip) During Clearance

After a few years of overbuying, I’ve developed a rule: I only grab items that either hold value, solve a specific decorating problem, or are classic enough to use for several seasons.

Decor Worth Grabbing

1. High-quality Christmas lights

I recently discovered that Walmart’s Holiday Time LED lights actually hold up surprisingly well compared to pricier brands. When I tested them against a mid-range Home Depot brand two years in a row, the Walmart strands had fewer dead bulbs in year two.

If you see:

Warm white LEDs
Longer strands (100+ count)
UL-listed indoor/outdoor labels

…at 75% off, that’s usually a green light.

2. Neutral and classic decor

In my experience, items that don’t scream a specific year’s trend age better:

Neutral stockings (knit, cable, faux fur)
Solid-color tree skirts
Simple wreaths you can DIY-upgrade later
Glass or shatterproof ornament sets in metallics or solid colors

Two years ago I grabbed a plain faux pine garland for under $5. This year, I wired in eucalyptus stems and black velvet ribbon and it looked like something out of a West Elm catalog.

3. Functional holiday gear

Not sexy, but so smart:

Power strips and outdoor extension cords
Light timers
Storage bins with red or green lids (I label mine by room)

I’ve seen power stakes drop from $19.98 to under $5 during January markdowns.

What I Usually Skip

Trend-heavy decor.

That TikTok-famous gnome you had to have? Next year you might hate it. I learned this the hard way with a set of buffalo-plaid everything. By the time the next Christmas rolled around, the trend had moved on and I was stuck with six plaid throw pillows I didn’t even like.

Very cheap pre-lit trees.

When I tested a $39 clearance pre-lit tree from Walmart, about 20% of the lights died after just one season. Cheaper pre-lit trees often have lousy wiring, and rewiring is a nightmare. If you see a solid, fuller tree from a mid-tier brand (like certain Home Accent models) marked way down, that’s a different story. But I generally prefer unlit trees plus separate, higher-quality lights.

Breakable, intricate ornaments.

Unless they’re truly special or collectible, they don’t store well, especially if you’re tossing stuff in basic bins like I do.

How To Use the Walmart App Like a Clearance Pro

When I started actually scanning everything with the Walmart app rather than just trusting the shelf signs, my savings basically doubled.

Here’s what I do:

Toggle to your local store. This matters. The clearance price is store-specific.
Use the barcode scanner (small barcode icon in the search bar) and scan every decor item that might be seasonal.
Look for hidden clearance. Sometimes an item is still on a regular shelf but scans at 50–75% off.
Watch the price drops over days. Last year I tested waiting three days between scans on a specific 7-foot tree. It dropped from 50% off to 75% off. When I went back on day four: sold out. That’s the gamble.

Walmart themselves encourage this behavior in a way—on their corporate site they’ve talked about how the app provides “seamless, omnichannel price visibility” for in-store shoppers.

In-Store vs. Online: Where the Deals Actually Are

I’ve tried both routes, and they don’t work the same.

In-Store Clearance

Pros:

Deeper markdowns (I’ve seen 90% off in-store, but rarely online)
You can check quality—flocking, stitching, how full a wreath actually is
Chance for hidden clearance and unmarked deals

Cons:

Crowded aisles in the first post-Christmas days
Selection very hit-or-miss by early January

Online Clearance

Pros:

You can filter by price, discount, and reviews
Easier to cross-check pricing history and product details
Sometimes you get early access to Christmas deals through Walmart’s holiday events

Cons:

Third-party sellers often list “Christmas decor” at fake markdowns
True 75–90% clearance is rarer and sells out fast

I usually start online to get a sense of what categories are being discounted (trees, inflatables, wreaths), then head in-store with a short list and the app ready.

How To Avoid Overspending on Clearance (Yes, Really)

I’m not going to pretend clearance shopping is risk-free. There’s actual research on this: the American Psychological Association has reported that bargain framing and limited-time deals can nudge people into impulse spending they later regret.

So here’s how I keep it under control now:

I set a hard cap before I walk in (e.g., $50 total or 5 items max).
I only buy what I can picture in a specific room next year. No “I’ll find a place for it.” If I can’t name the room, I put it back.
I store with intention. Anything that doesn’t fit in my labeled Christmas bins doesn’t come home.

Is this perfect? No. I still occasionally come across a random Santa sign in July and wonder why I bought it. But my “what was I thinking?” pile is much smaller now.

Realistic Expectations: What Walmart Christmas Clearance Can (and Can’t) Do

Over a few seasons, here’s what I’ve learned:

What it can do:

Cut your decor budget by 50–80% if you buy mostly on clearance
Let you upgrade to higher-quality items (like better lights and garlands) that you’d skip at full price
Help you build a cohesive “look” over a few years instead of blowing money on one chaotic, mismatched season

What it can’t do:

Guarantee the exact item you’re dreaming of will still be there at 75% off
Replace thoughtful planning—buying random cheap stuff doesn’t magically create a Pinterest-worthy home
Fix genuinely low-quality products; some items are a bad deal even at 90% off

If you treat Walmart Christmas clearance as a slow-build strategy rather than a one-day frenzy, you end up with a home that looks expensive without the financial hangover.

My Simple Game Plan for Next Season

Here’s the exact playbook I’m using again this year:

During December: Screenshot or save links to full-price items I actually like (trees, garlands, pillows).
Dec 26–27: Quick in-store lap, scan a few wish-list items. If something is nearly sold out, I’ll grab at 50%.
Around Jan 1–3: Main clearance run. This is when I’ve historically seen the best balance of selection and markdowns.
At home: Label each new item with painter’s tape: room + year bought. Toss the tape before next season.

When I tested this method over two holiday seasons, my decor spending dropped by almost 40%, but my house honestly looked more pulled-together because I was buying intentionally instead of panic-shopping on December 23.

If you’ve been wanting that cozy, magazine-worthy Christmas home without the matching magazine-worthy bill, Walmart’s clearance aisles—used smartly—are one of the easiest shortcuts I’ve found.