20 Smart Dollar Store Buys for the Holidays

Smart Dollar Store Buys for the Holidays

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Home For the Dollar Days

Need an easy way to keep your holiday spending down? This list introduces you to some of the best dollar store gifts available. But keep in mind that a name is just a name. Dollar General and Dollar Tree are more like discount retailers than true dollar stores given the latter's recent price hikes. Nevertheless, here are the best dollar gift ideas you can snag at these chains for around a buck. Many are available in bulk quantities online, but to buy individual items, you'll have head to the store.


Prices and availability are subject to change.

Dollar General Wrapping Paper
Dollar General
Dollar General Reindeer Ornament
Dollar General
Cobblestone Corners Winter Village 2023 Edition
Dollar Tree

3. The Cobblestone Corners Christmas Village Collection

Starting at $1.25 from Dollar Tree
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The Cobblestone Corners Christmas Village Collection contains numerous plastic and polyresin pieces, which you can buy in stores one by one — or you can buy an entire set. You can add LED tea candles to the buildings in this small-town Christmas scene diorama.

Christmas House Reversible Sequin Christmas Stockings
Dollar Tree

4. Reversible Sequin Christmas Stockings

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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These are cool because they come in four different colors that all share the same general theme, which means your family can match without getting their stockings mixed up. Find them in person at your local Dollar Tree.

Large Plastic Bell Decorations
Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree DIY Christmas Totes
Dollar Tree

6. Christmas House DIY Tote Bags

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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Instead of generic-looking totes, these bags allow crafty kids to put their own mark on them, highlighting Santa, the gnomes and snowmen as they see fit.

Christmas House Round Printed Tins with Lids
Dollar Tree

7. Lidded Christmas Tins

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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If you're the type of person who bakes their gifts, you're going to need some tins, so why not get tins that could double as gifts on their own. The tins are 3 inches deep and 6 and 6.75 inches in diameter, enough to cover the goods whether you're known for your brownies, cookies, or whatever else your friends look forward to every winter.

Christmas Oven Mitts and  Pot Holders from Dollar Tree for $1.25
Dollar Tree

8. Christmas-Themed Potholders and Oven Mitts

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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These heavy-duty checkered sets comes with 13-inch oven mitts and 7" x 7" potholders. Available design phrases include "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and "Home for the Holidays."

Cellophane Christmas Basket Bags from Dollar Tree $1.25
Dollar Tree

9. Cellophane Basket Bags

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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When you give a holiday give basket this year, keep the contents from spilling all over the place with a sturdy cellophane wrap. They come in packs of two.

Expressions From Hallmark Cards
Dollar Tree

10. Expressions From Hallmark Cards

$1 from Dollar Tree
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Dollar Tree is promoting a holiday line of the very products that made Hallmark famous — cards. Cards in the Expressions line are a dollar each, and the Heartline line is two for $1. In select stores, you can also find specialty card lines from Hallmark, including Tree of Life, Vida, and Mahogany, which celebrate Jewish, Latino, and African-American culture, respectively.

Holly Wreath Dinner Plate
Dollar Tree

11. Holly Wreath Dinner Plate

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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These hefty stoneware plates are 10.5 inches wide and will add a festive look to your holiday meals. You can pair them up with other holiday dishes, too.

Paintable Clear Plastic Christmas Balls
Dollar Tree

12. Paintable Clear Plastic Christmas Balls

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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Create your own unique Christmas tree with hand-crafted decorations. These Christmas balls can be filled or painted, making them ideal for a holiday family activity. Once complete they can be used in your home or given as gifts.

Christmas House Nutcracker Soldiers
Dollar Tree

13. Nutcracker Soldiers

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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There are few decorations that better signal the Christmas holiday than nutcrackers. Each of the 9-inch nutcrackers is holding a club, horn, scepter, sword, ax, or gun. You can display them around your home or give some away as gifts.

Artificial Christmas Tree
Dollar General
Christmas House Vertical Hanging Wall Signs
Dollar Tree

15. Holiday Wall Hanging

$1.25 at Dollar Tree
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Add a Santa or Frosty the Snowman to your entryway with these holiday signs. They're nearly 2 feet tall by 7 inches wide.

Scented Pillar Candle from Dollar Tree for $1.25
Dollar Tree

16. Scented Pillar Candle

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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You can never have too many festive candles on hand during the holiday season. These scented candles can be used for your home, in office lobbies or at special events.

Christmas Sentiment Oval Buckets
Dollar Tree

17. Christmas Sentiment Oval Buckets

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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Christmas buckets with handles for easy carrying, these can be used for displaying produce, transporting presents, or as a decoration for your table. Each of the buckets is decorated with a message – either “Merry Christmas” and "Believe in the magic of Christmas." Don’t need all 24? They can always be resold or gifted.


Related: 50 Last-Minute Gifts You Can Pick Up at the Drugstore

Felt Christmas Stocking from Dollar Tree $1.25 for 18 inches
Dollar Tree

18. Felt Christmas Stocking

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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Hang them by the chimney or fill them with goodies as to hand out as gifts, these cheerful felt Christmas stockings will put your best foot forward.

Holiday Table Covers from Dollar Tree for $1.25
Dollar Tree

19. Holiday Table Covers

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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Brighten the holiday meals with a festive cover for the dinner table. These inexpensive plastic covers measure 54 by 108 inches and will make cleanup a breeze.

Plush Santa Hats with Fur Cuffs from Dollar Tree for $1.25
Dollar Tree

20. Santa Hats

$1.25 from Dollar Tree
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What would an office Christmas party be without folks sporting Santa hats for the occasion? Wear one at your family gatherings or to greet holiday visitors this season.