1986
200
$23,550
$11,400
$110,250
No
Christmas Decor is a leading holiday decorating and exterior lighting services franchise in the USA offering homeowners and commercial clients customized, white-glove seasonal décor. With decades of proven growth, recurring demand, and strong brand recognition, Christmas Decor delivers a high-margin business model for franchise investors who want to tap into the booming residential and commercial decor market. Founded as a winter-time supplement to landscaping, it now spans hundreds of territories across the United States and Canada. For entrepreneurs passionate about festive decor, design, service excellence, and strong return on investment, this franchise offers a compelling opportunity to own a business that lights up neighborhoods and builds lasting customer relationships.
Growing Market Demand: Seasonal and holiday decorating services, particularly for Christmas and other year-end holidays, remain highly popular. Homeowners and businesses increasingly pay for professional, hassle-free décor installations, lighting displays, garlands, wreaths etc. Repeating customers and commercial contracts provide recurring revenue.
Resilience & Seasonality Mitigation: Although peak demand is seasonal, the business model supports off-season opportunities and complements other outdoor or lighting businesses (landscaping, roofline architectural lighting, other holiday events).
Proven Track Record and Brand Strength: Christmas Decor has been growing steadily for many years, is recognized in media and rankings, and has a strong reputation for quality and customer satisfaction.
Low to Moderate Entry Cost vs. Upside: Compared to many bricks-and-mortar franchises, entry costs are relatively modest for this sector; investment is balanced with strong gross sales potential. There are incentives (e.g. for veterans) and support to reduce risk.
Multiple Revenue Streams & Upsell Potential: Beyond Christmas, customers often engage for other holidays, year-round lighting or décor, commercial accounts, add-on services (maintenance, removal, design upgrades). The brand also includes related concepts (e.g. landscape lighting, permanent roofline lighting) under its parent group.
Strong Franchisee Support & Systems: Training, operations support, marketing, supply chain, product availability, etc., are well established. This reduces learning curve and risk.
Founding & Founder: Christmas Decor was founded by Blake Smith in 1986 in Texas; the idea originated when his landscaping business had off-season lulls, so he began offering holiday decorating to maintain revenue and keep employees engaged.
Franchising Start: The franchising model was officially launched in 1996.
Brand Journey & Growth: From a small landscaping business supplement to a major holiday decorating franchise, the company has expanded to serve over 300 communities across North America (USA & Canada). It employs over 3,000 seasonal workers during peak seasons. It has also extended its related service lines via The Decor Group (which includes Nite Time Decor, PermaLites365) for lighting & architectural/landscape illumination needs.
Ownership Change: In November 2024, Christmas Decor (The Decor Group) was acquired by Wonder Franchises, a subsidiary of Tucker’s Farm Corporation, a holding vehicle. The acquisition aims to grow the brand further, support franchisee health, expand territories, and leverage additional resources.
System Size & Market Presence: As of the latest count, nearly 200 franchisees, encompassing about 240 territories, generating approximately USD 75 million in system sales. The brand is present in almost every state (48 states) and many Canadian provinces.
Industry Category: Holiday & event decorating / exterior lighting services / seasonal residential & commercial higher-margin service business. It sits in the “home services / seasonal décor / lighting & display” category.
Christmas Decor provides comprehensive support from pre-launch through ongoing operations. Key components include:
Pre-Launch Support
Assistance in selecting a territory, analyzing local market demand, and planning the business setup.
Guidance on regulatory, licensing, insurance, permits.
Help with supply chain initiation (ordering materials, inventory, décor, lighting equipment).
Initial Training
Classroom training sessions (dozens of hours) covering design, installation methods, safety, product handling, customer service, sales & estimating.
On-the-job training / field training so franchisees can see projects in action.
Training in marketing, pricing, estimating commercial vs residential work.
Operational Support
Standardized systems & best practices for project management, scheduling, installation, safety, removal, maintenance.
Tools, materials, inventory control, vendor management.
Software / back-office / estimating tools to help manage quoting, leads, jobs.
Marketing & Sales Support
National brand recognition, templates, and guidelines for local marketing: social media, SEO, regional advertising, direct mail, email campaigns.
Co-op purchasing or volume discounts for supply of decor, lights, etc.
Lead generation programs; guidance on commercial sales, recurring clients.
Ongoing Support & Growth
Annual conference / meetings for franchisees, peer networking.
In-season help (quality control, scheduling, maintenance) and off-season strategic planning.
Assistance to scale / add related services or territories.
Updates & Innovation
Keeping up with decorative trends, lighting technologies (e.g. RGB programmable lighting).
Product development and design innovation to stay competitive.
To maximize success with Christmas Decor, the ideal investor/franchisee would have the following traits and capabilities:
Entrepreneurial & Hands-On: Someone willing to manage seasonal operations, coordinate a team of installers, manage logistics, scheduling, client relations, quality control.
Experience in Outdoor / Trade / Home Services: Background in landscaping, lighting, roofline / architectural lighting, holiday decorating, landscaping, pest control, or similar businesses is a plus. Even if starting fresh, familiarity with service business operations helps.
Financial Capacity: Able to invest initial capital, cover startup costs, have working capital to sustain operations in the off-peak or early season before full ramp up. Secure financing or sufficient net worth.
Passion for Quality, Design, Customer Service: Because brand reputation depends heavily on aesthetics, reliability, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction. Franchisees must deliver “white-glove” experience.
Sales & Marketing Mindset: Ability to market locally, build relationships with residential and commercial clients, win contracts, manage leads, upsell, drive repeat business.
Strong Project Management & Seasonal Staffing Skills: Because this business is very seasonal—requirement to ramp up workforce in certain months, manage inventory, deliver on tight schedules.
Location Preference & Territory: Preferably in suburban or urban fringe markets with sufficient density of higher-income homeowners, commercial centers, streetscapes, corporate offices. Territory size must support both residential and commercial client base.
Resilience & Scalability Mindset: Willing to adapt, scale up, manage overhead, possibly run multiple territories or expand with related service lines over time.
| Financial Item | Estimated Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total Initial Investment | $23,550 – $110,250 | Includes franchise fee, training, initial inventory, marketing, insurance, equipment, and working capital |
| Franchise Fee | $11,400 – $69,900 | Depends on territory size and market |
| Minimum Cash / Net Worth Required | $30,000 – $100,000 | To qualify for financing and sustain operations |
| Royalty Fee | 5% of gross sales | Paid monthly to franchisor |
| Advertising / Brand Fund Fee | 1% of gross sales | For national/regional marketing campaigns |
| Veteran Incentives | $1,500 credit | Toward first inventory/equipment order |
| Working Capital | $5,000 – $20,000 | For payroll, storage, fuel, off-season expenses |
| Equipment & Inventory | $7,000 – $10,000 | Initial décor, lights, ladders, safety gear |
| Marketing / Local Promotion | $2,000 – $7,500 | Initial local marketing campaign |
| Infrastructure / Vehicles | $5,000 – $25,000 | For trailers, trucks, storage, warehouse setup |
| Expected Gross Sales (avg.) | ~$339,000 annually | Average for established franchisees |
| Break-Even Point | 2 – 3 seasons | Depending on territory size, marketing, and client base |
| Revenue Streams | Residential holiday décor, commercial contracts, installation & removal, maintenance, permanent & year-round lighting | Diversified earning potential |
