I shopped for fall decor at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. Both stores were winners — just not for the same holiday.

The first point I saw was erstwhile I entered a rack of Halloween doormats, truthful I knew I was successful for a spooky experience.

Passing done what seemed for illustration measurement excessively galore faux pumpkins led maine to the Halloween section, which took up the full beforehand half of the store.

With skull-covered wreaths, creepy garlands, life-size dolls, and hanging ghosts, Michaels felt haunted from the get-go.

Hobby Lobby's attraction was connected wide autumn vibes and Thanksgiving, pinch nary Halloween decor successful sight.

This could beryllium because Hobby Lobby's CEO and founder, David Green, is simply a devout Christian and has publically committed the concatenation to "honoring the Lord." Some Christians position Halloween arsenic a pagan vacation and do not observe it.

Call maine a spooky Scrooge, but the deficiency of Halloween decorations didn't fuss me. I'm not a instrumentality of the holiday's scary broadside anyway.

Walking into Hobby Lobby, I was greeted by harvest figures, garlands, and tabletop "thankful" signs earlier I moreover sewage done the door.

Michaels is the spot to spell for chilling Halloween decor. I encountered blackened trees, eerie paintings, frightening skull candles, and sets of haunted houses that reminded maine of Christmas villages, but pinch a Halloween twist.

I for illustration the tiny stuff, truthful the cowboy-themed shade garlands and sparkly candy-corn accents caught my attention. Most items were excessively scary for my preferences, but I recovered a fewer gems.

Some whitethorn telephone it cheesy, but I opportunity "kitschy."

Everywhere I turned were signs that publication "Hello, Pumpkin," "Happy Fall, Y'all," and my individual favorite, "Family is Everything." Not creative, per se, but classic.

These blissfully hokey sayings covered mugs, crockery towels, tabletop displays, and moreover gait signs. Additionally, the shop seemed to clasp pumpkins successful each aisle.

Michaels had fall candles correct erstwhile I walked successful — and I recovered decadent scents for illustration brown-butter pumpkin and apple-streusel java cake.

Turns out, the statement was conscionable starting. An full postulation awaited maine further into the store.

The dreamy assortment included autumn fog, wood hearth, pumpkin bread, and saccharine cider, among different sweater-weather sniffs.

Hobby Lobby besides carried autumn candles, and successful my opinion, the jars were moreover prettier than the ones astatine Michaels. After smelling each of them, the maple and pick latte and vanilla and berry amber won maine over.

As personification who helps pinch Thanksgiving cooking and table-setting, I get excited astir casserole dishes and spoon rests.

Hence, I was tickled by Hobby Lobby's selection, which included not only seasonal plates and bowls, but besides rustic cutting boards, autumnal loaf pans, leaf-shaped silicone molds, pumpkin salt-and-pepper shakers, and more.

Anything would look dim successful comparison to its Halloween lineup, but objectively, I didn't spot overmuch Thanksgiving-specific decor — isolated from for a fewer pillows and a banner that publication "Give Thanks."

However, I did bask its freestanding show of ornamental autumn gourds, gait signs, and doormats.

I recovered Hello Kitty and characters from "Lilo & Stitch," "Despicable Me," and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" astatine Michaels, each Halloween-ified successful immoderate way.

Hobby Lobby had wholesome icons for illustration Minnie Mouse, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy participating successful autumn activities. Not scary, of course, but adorable.

In summation to basal wood crafts, Hobby Lobby had an full aisle of unsocial activities, specified arsenic foam-headband kits, paintable suncatchers, and pinecone-making projects. It besides offered seasonal books and puzzles.

The 1,000-piece puzzles were evidently geared toward adults, but everything other seemed cleanable for elementary-school-aged kids.

If coating by numbers and crocheting are your forte, you'll find plentifulness astatine Michaels. The erstwhile intrigued maine most, particularly since I came crossed an elevated, gallery-style kit for only $9.99.

The children's autumn trade section didn't thrill me, but it redeemed itself successful toys. Cauldron slime, glow-in-the-dark putty, spider rings, and maze games were conscionable a fewer highlights.

While I was successful the store, I heard astir Hobby Lobby's Christmas section complete the intercom, specifically the 50% disconnected sale. Naturally, I went to cheque it out.

Stationed conscionable beyond the autumn section, the Christmas setup was already half complete. Flashing vacation trees, rows of ribbons, and Christmas trains sewage maine excited for the vacation season.

Early? Yes, but arsenic a certified Christmas fanatic, I appreciated the enthusiasm.

Even though Halloween isn't my favorite holiday, I tin admit bully decorations, and Michaels went supra and beyond.

The autumn conception was besides solid, particularly for faux pumpkins, tiny garlands, wreaths, candles, and doormats. It had much pillows than Hobby Lobby, printed pinch sayings for illustration "Give Thanks" and "Autumn Leaves and Pumpkin Please."

Aside from pillows and candles, Hobby Lobby excelled successful the autumn department, specifically for tabletop decorations, room items, and outdoor signs.

Plus, it had a robust action of kid-friendly crafts and crippled time supplies.

From "pumpkin herb and everything nice" aprons to those scarecrows/harvest group I ne'er understood, Hobby Lobby had each the basics.

Nothing ace special, but it gave maine that warm-fuzzy emotion inside.

Neither shop covered each guidelines — or, from the glass-half-full perspective, each shop had specialties.

Since selections varied truthful widely, I couldn't precisely comparison prices, but I did announcement a decent magnitude of 40%-off income astatine some retailers.

Many Michaels' deals I saw were tied to its in-house brands, for illustration Ashland, and many, not all, seasonal items were marked down. At times, I wasn't judge what was aliases wasn't connected sale, particularly successful the Halloween section.

Prices felt overmuch much straightforward to maine astatine Hobby Lobby. The shop advertised "40% Off Fall Decor, Party, Floral, and Crafts" connected the beforehand door, which felt broad and gave maine little guesswork.

All successful all, I'd person to shop astatine some retailers to screen fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving; however, since the stores are successful the aforesaid building, I person nary rumor making a Saturday of it.

Just not a Sunday, erstwhile Hobby Lobby locations are closed, and I learned that the difficult measurement connected my first effort to shop.

Business Insider reached retired to Michaels and Hobby Lobby for comment.