The 5 Top Christmas Shops in Atlanta
When Christmastime comes to the sunny South, make the rounds of the five top Christmas shops in Atlanta to find the best selection of festive decor, crafts, and gifts to make the season bright. Large or small, commercial or down-home, Georgia’s capital offers one-of-a-kind Christmas shopping adventures to suit every need and any taste.
M.C. Twinklin's
Billed as “Atlanta’s unique Christmas store,” M. C. Twinklin’s is open year-round and boasts the largest artificial Christmas tree and decoration selection in the Southeast. Located about 22 miles east of downtown in the Gwinnett County suburb of Lilburn, M. C. Twinklin’s has been in business since 1982. You can buy whatever you need and do your own decorating, or engage the services of the store’s expert decorating staff to do up your local home or office to your specifications.
Heeney Company
If you’re planning Christmas decorating on a large scale or in a corporate setting, and can meet the requirements to shop there, the Heeney Company is the place to go for all of your seasonal ornamental needs. An Atlanta manufacturer and wholesaler of floral supplies, home decor, and Christmas products, Heeney Company is a family business with a 50-year history of excellence in the trade. To shop the Heeney showroom, you must provide credentials indicating you’re shopping on behalf of a business or nonprofit organization. The dizzying smorgasbord of Christmastime paraphernalia you’ll have access to makes it worth the effort and the extra paperwork.
The Seventeen Steps
The Seventeen Steps is a small, cozy shop in downtown Decatur, about six miles east of Atlanta’s center. Not limited to just Christmas items, Seventeen Steps offers an eclectic assortment of gifts and greeting cards all year long, but always lays in a generous supply of unique hand-blown glass ornaments and other keepsake collectibles for the holiday season. As Christmas Day approaches, this long-established family-owned store often offers extended shopping hours featuring special guests, entertainment, and complimentary refreshments. Browsers are always welcome.
Decatur Holiday Marketplace and Cafe
While you’re in Decatur, if your timing is right, you just may be able to experience one of the Atlanta area’s most special, limited-time Christmas shopping traditions. Usually scheduled for the first weekend in December, the Decatur Holiday Marketplace and Cafe takes place in the halls and classrooms of Clairemont School, one of Decatur’s historic small neighborhood elementary schools. Local artists and craftspeople sell their creations, hearty soups and homemade baked goods are on sale, and charming, one-of-a-kind Christmas decorations made by Decatur’s schoolchildren can be purchased at very reasonable prices.
Dickens Village
About 25 miles south of Atlanta’s downtown, Heritage Christian Church in the suburban town of Fayetteville hosts an annual Christmas tradition called Dickens Village. Typically lasting for one or two weekends in December, this special holiday experience recreates a 19th-century English village at Christmastime, with shops, food, and entertainment for the whole family. Dickens Village is open only in the evenings, Friday through Sunday, and admission is free. For a total-immersion Christmas shopping experience that is fun and inviting for all ages, you can’t beat the cheerful and nostalgic Dickens Village. Take a drive and treat yourself to a virtually Victorian Christmas.
