Some holiday décor wants to be on Instagram. Other holiday décor wants to be on your couch on Christmas morning, holding a mug while someone else makes the cinnamon rolls. Kathy Ireland's new collection for Kirkland's is firmly the second kind, and it is priced so you can actually fill a room with it.
Kirkland's announced the Christmas Morning by Kathy Ireland collection on October 27. It includes 20 pieces: robes, mugs, ornaments, blankets, candles, Nativity sets and Christmas décor, priced from $5.99 to $59.99.
The idea behind it
The collection is built around a theme Ireland describes as Faith, Family and Friends, and it is very much a traditional, warm-red-and-plaid Christmas rather than a minimalist one. If your style leans toward stockings over the fireplace and a tree heavy with ornaments, this is your lane.
"Christmas is a celebration of faith, love, and the traditions that connect generations," Ireland said in the announcement. "Our hope is that these pieces become part of the Christmas mornings families cherish and the traditions they pass on."
Ireland is far more than a famous face here. She founded her brand licensing company in 1993 and has built it into a major licensing business, landing on the Forbes 50 Over 50 list along the way. Kirkland's CEO Amy Sullivan put it this way: "Kathy understands our customer and has a strong instinct for the styles and trends that resonate with her."
Why Kirkland's is making noise this year
This launch is part of something bigger for the retailer. Kirkland's is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a campaign called "Kirkland's: Since 1966," and the company says it marks its first national holiday advertising in years. Kirkland's is now part of Neighborhood Intelligence (Nasdaq: NXH), the company formerly known as Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., which explains the other big piece of news.
The collection is available at more than 200 Kirkland's stores, at Kirklands.com and in Kirkland's pop-up shops inside 80 Bed Bath & Beyond and The Container Store locations. So if you are already running into The Container Store for holiday storage bins, you may find a Christmas Morning display on the way to checkout.
What to look for
With a $5.99 to $59.99 range, the smartest buys are the pieces that do double duty. A mug or a candle at the lower end of the range makes an easy teacher, neighbor or coworker gift. The robe, which Ireland wears in the campaign over holiday pajamas, is the one we would wrap for yourself, honestly, and put under your own tree. A blanket draped over the arm of a chair changes how a room feels in about five seconds, and it stays useful well past New Year's.
For families who display a Nativity each year, the collection includes Nativity sets too, in keeping with the faith-forward theme of the whole line.
We could not pull individual item prices because Kirkland's site limits automated browsing, so check Kirklands.com or your local store for exact pricing on each piece. With the whole collection topping out at $59.99, though, this is one of the most budget-friendly celebrity home lines of the season.
