Chuck out your white and silver holiday décor, because this year it’s shaping up to be a “Ralph Lauren Christmas.” The term — which harkens back to a nostalgic holiday, filled with rich, cozy colors and textures like red tartan and deep green velvet — surged more than 600% on TikTok and 831% in Google searches this fall.
Also referred to as “Home Alone Christmas,” in reference to the sumptuous style of the family home in the iconic holiday film, the trend has less to do with actual Ralph Lauren products and more to do with the brand’s signature aesthetic. The trend’s upsurge is being seen as backlash, not just to several years of minimalist and “coquettish” holiday aesthetics, but also to our chaotic, complicated times; a longing, similar to what is happening in fashion, for the bold, oversized comfort of the late-’80s and early ’90s.
“In this climate of chaos, people are gravitating toward comfort and going back to the basics,” said Emily Butler, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Karson Butler Hospitality Co., which operates the Ah Louis gift shop in San Luis Obispo, Calif. “There’s something classic and timeless about this trend. I mean, there’s been tartan and plaid in holiday décor for decades, but it’s just getting a little bit of a dressed-up look,” she explained in an interview with Retail TouchPoints.
Retailers Jump on the ‘Ralph Lauren Christmas Trend’
Ah Louis isn’t the only independent retailer leaning into the trend, as evidenced by search data from B2B marketplace Faire. From September to October, searches for related products skyrocketed: plaid (up 54% month-over-month), nutcracker (up 103%), vintage Christmas (up 90%) and velvet (up 47%).
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“[This jump in searches] shows just how quickly independent retailers are embracing this classic, heritage-inspired holiday trend that’s gained momentum this season,” said Jen Burke, Chief Revenue Officer at Faire in comments shared with Retail TouchPoints. “One of Faire’s superpowers is helping brands and retailers jump on emerging trends overnight, and we’re watching this one unfold in real time as small businesses curate nostalgic, meaningful shopping experiences for their customers.”
Reimagining a Historic General Store as a Modern Gifting Shop
Ah Louis hasn’t had to make many changes to be on-trend this year, given that “for us, plaid is a neutral; it’s always been part of our DNA,” said Butler.
Located in the historic 151-year-old Ah Louis building in “this magical little area halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles,” the store has the same name as the Chinese immigrant who ran his business out of the building in the late 1800s, although the character of the shop has changed quite a bit over the past century.
The shop began life a century and a half ago as a general store, and throughout the years the building has served as a gathering spot, an unofficial bank and a post office, but in more recent times was vacant.
Nine years ago, Butler and her twin sister Amber Karson opened their shop, which they refer to as an “entertaining general store,” selling everything from hostess gifts, candles and stationery to wine and gift baskets. The shop is an offshoot of their event planning and design business, Karson Butler Hospitality Co., which the twins have run together for 20 years.
Making Holiday Shopping an Anticipated Event
Those entertaining chops come into play every holiday season, when the Ah Louis store is closed for two weeks to undergo a full Christmas transformation. “It’s a strategy not many retailers do, but it has just gotten bigger and better every year,” said Butler. “It’s a gamble, closing to several weeks of sales, but historically [November and December] are our busiest two months of the year, and we build buzz all year long. I take customers along the journey with me — when I’m at markets, I’m doing polls, asking what ornaments I should carry, what other kinds of products they want to see.”
This year, that transformation took place at the end of October, and the Ah Louis Holiday Shop is now open for business, decked out in full “Ralph Lauren” style and showcasing hundreds of ornaments and gifts for everyone. Singing door greeters will be joining the mix for Small Business Saturday.
The result is that Ah Louis has become a “holiday flagship” in the community — and beyond. Butler recounted a recent visit with two women who stopped in last week on what has become an annual holiday pilgrimage from LA, a three-hour drive each way.
Ah Louis Finds Itself Happily in Line with This Year’s Holiday Trend
As sometimes happens in the rapidly shifting landscape of online trends, Ah Louis found itself on-trend without any major effort.
“We didn’t change any strategy [to jump on the Ralph Lauren trend], we’re just on-trend right now,” said Butler. “Last year, though, we didn’t have any plaid nutcrackers. This year, the new Nutcracker design is plaid, so we showcase those in our windows. We do a style guide every year for our employees, and this year we’ve really leaned into the red tartan plaid. So we have cute dresses with big black bows and red tartan plaid that we wear on Saturdays.
“We’ve also leaned into the look through plaid gift wrap, cozy textures and classic holiday layers throughout the shop,” Butler added. “And of course, we like to make the trend our own: while the rest of the world gears up for Black Friday, we celebrate Plaid Friday, which feels especially fitting this year as it also marks our ninth anniversary. It’s a fun, festive way to embrace a timeless look that resonates deeply with our community.”
And while Ah Louis may not have had to work hard to meet consumers’ aesthetic expectations this year, being on-trend will only help the company with its larger goal: “Our word of the year is ‘joy.’ How can we add more joy to our community?” said Butler. “Whether or not you step foot into our doors, we want to make sure that you feel a little happier when you drive by our store. There’s so much negativity happening right now that I think people are leaning into the local shops where the shop owners know their name and they feel welcome in a non-pressured environment.”
