What to Expect After Christmas Sales?

_{Christmas might be over, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to put your wallet away. After Christmas sales are aplenty and it is time to stock up for next year and gifts, you can give throughout the year.}

Couple shopping after Christmas Sales together. Looking through store window.

Looking For The Best After Christmas Sales

Now that the presents will soon to be been opened. The relatives have gone home. The refrigerator is full of leftovers. It’s that post-Christmas time of the year. Let me first start off by saying, this will be the BEST time to get stocked up on items you will throughout the year and into the next Holiday Season.

Every year I like to stock up on items I will need for next Christmas (wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift tags, bags, decorating items, etc) as well as items I could use for birthday gifts or other events.

This is the one time I can say I purchased enough to last for a year. Considering that is how long I will have it in my possession. I don’t go crazy, but I do grab all the things I need at 75% off for next year. Plus, I grab miscellaneous items for birthdays and other events.

This is smart planning at its best. Let’s go through some of the best items you can pick up during the after-Christmas sales event.

When Do The Sales Start After Christmas

Starting right away on December 26th, many stores will have all Christmas items marked down to typically 50% off or more. You’ll be able to find:

Personal gift sets on sale after christmas with sign that states 50% off

Personal Care Gift Sets

Collections of beauty products, for instance–tend to be deeply discounted right after the holidays. Pick up the boxes for your own use or to give them as gifts in the coming year. These are my favorite to pick up. You can certainly take all the items out of their box to make up different gift baskets.

Food Baskets on sale at Walmart - after christmas sales

Food Gift Sets

Food items, both in terms of seasonal foods like pies and chestnuts and not to forget food gift sets, are quite cheap after Christmas. The food is still delicious, and the prices make those items a bargain.

Plus, these sets can be used for gifts at any time of year. (you did see that one coming right!) You’ll also find Christmas cookie dough and chocolate chips. Don’t forget that you can freeze these items to preserve them for later use.

Holiday Decor on sale - shelf containing Christmas decor

All Sorts Of Christmas Decor

One of the best categories of items after Christmas sales shouldn’t come as a shock. Focus on purchasing items that you will need for next year. Now is the time to stock up on wrapping paper, bows, wreaths, garlands, etc.

When looking at wrapping paper, also search out those patterns and colors that could be used throughout the year for other gifts. Keep your eyes peeled, you never know what you may find.

Candy

I love half-price candy (STARBURSTS)! Think ahead to Valentine’s Day. Many of the individually wrapped packages of candies will have snowflake packaging or even regular packaging within the snowflake outer packaging- perfect for your kids’ Valentine’s party favors.

Just make sure you check the expiration dates on the back. You can also buy bags of Christmas-colored Hershey kisses and eat all the green ones first, leaving you with the silver and red for Valentine’s.

Then you eat the red ones next, leaving you with just silver for after Valentine’s.

In recent years, Target has only put their candy at 30% off right after holidays, but they’ll move to 50% off within a few days and usually move to 75% off at the same time as the other holiday merchandise. Read more about how Target’s sales work.

Toys, Toys, Toys

We are already seeing toy clearances at many stores, but the prices will get even better. Think ahead to birthdays for your kids and their friends over the next year.

What gifts can you buy in the next few weeks at as much as 75% off and save hundreds throughout the next year? (not to mention the time saved from last-minute shopping trips before parties!).

It is so easy just to pull a gift out of the closet from your little stockpile.

Gadgets, Trinkets, and Batteries

It never ceases to amaze me what sorts of things get marked down as clearance starting Dec. 26th, simply because the packaging has snowflakes. All those red-boxed gadgets at Target will be on clearance as well as candles, air fresheners, and all the overstock of batteries!

So grab all those coordinating coupons and prepare for some significant savings. You’ll find some items with just a touch of winter like picture frames and winter china, as well as plenty of small items that you can use for Secret Santa gifts at work or for church.

Paper Products

You’ll be able to find snowman or snowflake paper towels and napkins that you can use for another 2 or 3 months without being out of season (not that it should matter anyway).

There will be lots of winter paper plates that you can use for parties in the next couple of months. Plus, don’t forget to pick up tissue paper. I like to pick up white tissue paper to use throughout the rest of the year. And paper products never go bad.

Napkins & Table clothes - after Christmas Sales - 50% off sign at Target

Cloth Tablecloths and Napkins

I have purchased tablecloths (a red one and a white one) that were 75% off after Christmas. We typically use the red one from December through March, white from April to August, and a fall-themed one Sept-Nov.

I’ve also found lots of cloth napkins that could also be used for many purposes.

Clothes

Winter PJs, Christmas-themed clothes, hats, gloves, earmuffs, socks, hair bows, ties. Don’t forget winter boots. They will be on sale as well. It’s all got to go.

By the time many of these hit 90% off, they’ll be as cheap or cheaper than buying clothes at goodwill! We find a lot of excellent clothing deals during the after-Christmas sales event.

Craft Sets

Some will be Christmas-themed and others won’t. You can save a Christmas craft set for the next year or pull it out for a Christmas in July activity to help break up the summer boredom streak.

Most big-box retailers will begin reducing items to 75% between Wednesday and Saturday following Christmas. The 90% off sales could happen as soon as 3 or 4 days after that.