Every morning while walking my dog, I pass a giant digital countdown to Christmas on my neighbor’s lawn.
Lately, it’s been making me feel the urgency to get my holiday shopping finished ASAP. On top of that, we have less than two weeks until the big day — and if I order some gifts online, they may not arrive on time.
So, after a recent morning walk, I hopped in my car and headed to two of my nearest big-box retailers, Walmart and Target, to finish my Christmas shopping.
Here’s what it was like looking for gifts for my husband and two teenagers at Walmart and Target during the 2025 holiday season.
Stocking stuffers, such as candy and gum, seemed similarly priced at both stores.
Walmart and Target both had aisles upon aisles of seasonal candy and other small stocking stuffers priced between $1 and $5.
I found everything I needed to fill the stockings of my husband, 17-year-old son, and 15-year-old daughter at both stores, from holiday-themed chocolate bars and gum to seasonally-scented face masks and lip balms.
Generally, Walmart’s pajamas were cheaper than Target’s.
Each Christmas Eve, I give my kids a new pair of Christmas pajamas to open and wear to sleep that night.
At both stores, I found plenty of soft and cozy pajamas with cute holiday prints, but they were much cheaper at Walmart.
For example, I found cute mix-and-match sets of Walmart’s Joyspun pajamas that cost about $25 total. Similar sets from Target’s Auden brand were priced at $35, so I went with the Walmart pajamas to save about $10.
Both the guys in my house want quarter-zips, and I preferred Target’s selection.
I recently introduced quarter-zip sweaters to my husband with great success — and my teenage son and his friends have also taken to the fashion trend.
So, both of my guys asked for a new quarter-zip for Christmas.
I found a performance quarter-zip in blue or black at my local Walmart for $25, but it seemed pretty basic. At Target, I found a few options, including quarter-snap sweaters — a fun play on the trend — for $35.
I liked Target’s version better because it came in four different colors (all in stock in my local store), and the sweaters felt a bit higher quality than the ones I found at Walmart.
Still, it was nice to find the trendy style at both retailers.
Both stores had a wide selection of gifts for gamers, including the new Switch.
My teenage son loves video games — we were even among the first in line at Target to buy the all-new Nintendo Switch 2 console when it was released earlier this year.
Fortunately, both Target and Walmart had tons of gifts for gamers from consoles — including the Xbox Series X and the new Switch 2 — to games and accessories for those systems.
When I visited, neither store was offering particularly great deals on games or consoles, and the prices appeared to be the same at both.
Still, in a world where sought-after tech can be tough to track down over the holidays, I was impressed with each store’s selection of gamer gifts.
Walmart’s jewelry selection is great for younger kids, but Target has the brands my teen loves.
I found charm bracelets, earrings, pendant necklaces, and more at both Walmart and Target.
Walmart mostly stocked its own brands of inexpensive jewelry, whereas Target had collaborations with major brands, like BaubleBar and Kendra Scott, on display.
I used to buy my daughter cheaper jewelry at Walmart, like Time and Tru charm bracelets or initial necklaces for under $10. But now that she’s old enough to take care of nicer pieces, I’d prefer to shop for her at Target.
I could see myself getting a Kendra Scott necklace or some Hey Harper gold hoop earrings at Target. These types of pieces typically cost between $30 and $50, and it’s nice being able to look at them in person instead of just ordering them online.
I still recommend Walmart for trendy, inexpensive jewelry for younger kids who don’t care about brand names, though.
Many toiletry gift sets — a teen favorite — were available at both stores.
My teen daughter has loved getting seasonal beauty gift sets from her favorite brands over the last few holidays, so I looked at what was on offer at both stores.
At Target, I spotted gift sets containing products from brands like Byoma and Tree Hut, two of my daughter’s favorites. Walmart had skincare sets from Bubble and CeraVe — two other brands she loves.
These sets often include trial-sized items, making them a good way to test out products before investing in pricier, full-sized versions.
Both stores had comparably priced sets featuring scrubs, lotions, and body washes, though many were on sale for 30% off at Target during my trip.
I found vinyl records from artists my teens love at both Walmart and Target.
Collecting vinyl records can be an expensive hobby, so I usually buy my kids one they’ve been wanting to add to their collection for Christmas.
Fortunately, Walmart and Target both had impressive vinyl sections with similar prices. I easily found my teens’ favorite artists, from Taylor Swift to Olivia Rodrigo, at both.
Prices at each store matched what I’ve seen at other retailers, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
The prices and variety of essential-oil diffusers seemed about the same at both chains.
My daughter has a new essential-oil diffuser on her wish list this year, and I found lots of options at both retailers.
At Walmart, there were plain diffusers and more intricately decorated ones, all at reasonable prices — most under $30.
Target’s diffuser prices were right on par with Walmart’s, and it also had super decorative styles, plus a few with “ultrasonic” features that felt more high-end.
Both retailers had an impressive selection of oils to go with them, too.
I found more festive holiday socks at Target.
If you’re looking for a soft, cozy pack of wintery socks, Walmart just may be the spot.
There, I found three-packs of soft Joyspun socks in lots of different colors and patterns for less than $10. However, I didn’t see as many seasonal socks as I expected at Walmart.
If your family likes wearing truly festive socks — the kinds with elf or snowman patterns or snowflake designs, Target may be the place to shop.
There, I picked up holiday-worthy stocking-stuffer socks for each person in my family for about $4 to $6 a pair.
Target’s selection for pets felt more festive than Walmart’s.
We love our pets and always make sure to fill their stockings and leave a few items under the tree for them to open on Christmas morning.
At my local Walmart, I only found a few endcaps set up with seasonal pet items, like stockings filled with cat or dog toys.
Meanwhile, Target had overhauled its entire pet section to celebrate the season — displays were complete with festive photos of cats and dogs. I found seasonal pet clothes, treats, beds, toys, scratchers, and more.
It was lots of fun to pick out a few items for my cats and dogs at Target.
All in all, my holiday shopping pick would be Target.
Walmart has a reputation for offering low prices and great deals, so I’ve long assumed it was the cheaper of the two stores.
However, after comparing the cost of groceries at both earlier this year, I discovered Target offered much of the same pricing with a more relaxing shopping experience.
Turns out, the same is true when shopping for holiday gifts. Most items on my list cost about the same at both stores, but my experience at Target felt more laid-back and less hectic.
As much as I enjoy Walmart, Target remains my preferred store to visit, especially during the holiday season.
My local Walmart often feels crowded, plus some of its offerings in the pet and men’s wear departments didn’t impress me quite as much as Target’s.
Target also had more in-store sales running when I shopped, such as 30% off beauty gift sets. (Its sales change weekly, though, so it’s worth checking if the items on your list are discounted before shopping.)
Since the prices seem so similar at both stores, it makes more sense for me to go to Target, where I can grab a peppermint mocha from the in-store Starbucks to sip on while I slowly peruse the typically not-too-crowded aisles.
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