A Very Utica Square Christmas: A Review of Your Favorite Shopping Center’s Christmas Decor
By: Aubrey Hovenga
A Utica Square clock fixture decorated in red ribbon for the holidays.
Welcome to Tulsa’s very own Utica Square at Christmas: Known for its classic charm and holiday spirit, Utica Square becomes a winter wonderland each December. This review features the most iconic pieces of the Utica Square festivities and most accessorized stores. Be prepared to take a journey through Pottery Barn, Amber Marie, and Glacier Chocolate to explore their Christmas decorations for the 2024 season with a few surprises here and there. Be on the lookout for the holidays most memorable nut-cracking tool.
The interior of Pottery Barn with Christmas trees and decor put up around the store.
Pottery Barn:
The theme and style this year was very clearly cozy, brown, and gingerbread all over. Be prepared for a teddy bear boucle extravaganza. The focus was on timeless elegance, neutral palettes, cozy textures, and sophisticated holiday accents. This year’s signature plushies included 3 boucle textured stuffed toys, gingerbread, snowman, and peppermint, and one faux fur polar bear toy. There was also a large assortment of oversized ornaments, plush throws, and gingerbread dining table decor. The combination of Pottery Barn’s polished decor and the whimsical ambiance adds to the holiday charm. The holiday shopping spirit was well portrayed in the store with warm lighting, soft holiday music, and a refined spiced smells. The staff are attentive and ready to help style your perfect Christmas setting (I even got a staff member to pose for a photo and received compliments on my outfit and camera while shopping). Their Christmas selection combines high-quality craftsmanship and versatility, providing great options for anyone looking to elevate their holiday home aesthetic but also invest in decorations that will last for Christmases to come.
The many iconic pieces of the Pottery Barn Christmas product line.
Drumroll please… It's time for our first nutcracker sighting!
Nutcracker #1.
Spotted on the walk out of Pottery Barn directly in front of Bar Serra. This nutcracker was embellished with gold accents on his buttons, epaulettes, belt buckle, shirt cuffs, boots, hat, stand, and geometrically patterned down his coat. The gold accents paired with a bright red coat and blue undershirt and pants. He has a dapper look to him completed with rosy cheeks and a white beard, mustache and hair.
On to our second store of the series, Amber Marie & Co. This store can be found on the same strip as Pottery barn just a few stores down. It is notably one of the most externally decorated stores on the strip!
The exterior of Amber Marie & Co. with all of their decorations set up.
Amber Marie & Co.:
The theme and style this year as always is all over the place. The store provides a wide range of decor for just about any category of Christmas you can imagine. I observed themes like winter wonderland, blue Christmas, pink Christmas, checkered patterns, candy Christmas, and white Christmas (my personal favorite). Amber Marie & Co. is truly a magical wonderland of eclectic, colorful, and handmade holiday treasures. The decorations range from vintage-inspired ornaments to quirky, boutique-style gifts. Amber Marie & Co’s infamous ornament selection did not disappoint this year, it spread across an entire wall and had hundreds of different novelties to choose from.
The infamous Amber Marie ornament wall 2024.
The store's products include unique, artisan-made items like jewelry, herb and spice blends, clothing, home decor etc. that you won’t find anywhere else in Tulsa. These are perfect for those who want a one-of-a-kind Christmas look or a gift for a loved one that they know will be meaningful. Amber Marie & Co’s indoor display is a feast for the senses. It’s decked out with twinkling lights, seasonal scents, and for a cheerful, personalized shopping atmosphere. Helpful staff shared fun decorating tips or stories behind the pieces (I learned how to tie ribbon around a Christmas tree limb). The seasonal floral arrangements, and handmade tree toppers that feel like collector’s items. They were one of a kind, beautifully crafted and placed on each tree throughout the rooms of the store. Walking in and out of the store you and greeted by a life-sized, classic, animatronic Santa under an Amber Marie and Co. garland.
Various categories of Christmas around the store.
Nutcracker sighting #2 is just around the corner!
Nutcracker #2.
Located on the center median between two shopping strips. This nutcracker carries the theme of red, blue and gold but has a few more noticeable black accents. His face is more square and there are less blush details and facial artistry. He has black hair and carries a sword in a black sheath around his waist. While he is less detailed than nutcracker #1, I really appreciate the edition of the sword, it's almost as if he is a younger, combat ready version of the previous. (Nutcracker #1 can be spotted in the back of this photo.)
On the way to my next stop I walked past Santa’s miniature house. A long line of families ran up and down the sidewalks and the smell of cookies was in the air. Upon further inspection it was clear that this was the maker of many childrens core memories. The house had white paneling with a cherry red roof and green trim. There were candy canes sitting on either side of the house and Christmas carols floating out of its interior.
Santa's house with a line of families waiting to enter.
The line was long but definitely worth the wait. When exiting the house you see Santa’s sleigh and an extremely large Christmas tree. The theme for this display was a very classic Christmas. Red velvet ribbon was tied on pretty much everything that it could be tied to and the oh so familiar evergreen garlands were draped across all of the fencing. The white picket fencing was homey and added to the house’s petite cutesy stature. Overall this display definitely appealed to the ages, bringing back the same look that we have seen in past years and will likely see for years to come.
And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for, it’s time for our 3rd and final nutcracker sighting!
Nutcracker #3.
Located between Santa’s house and Starbucks coffee, directly across from Loft is my personal favorite nutcracker. He has the same shape as nutcracker #2 however he does not carry the same color scheme. His color scheme follows a red, black, and gold theme. The buttons on his coat are asymmetrical, three on the left side of his chest and two on the right. The significance of the button placement is unclear but seems intentional. The asymmetrical theme carries on to his hair, he has a white beard and hair however his mustache and eyebrows are black. For this reason he is my favorite, I enjoy that he was created just a little bit odd.
Finally I arrived at my last stop, Glacier Chocolate. The outside portion was marked by a small banner titled “Candy Cottage,” with an image of a decorated garland and two nutcrackers. To say the least this was subtle foreshadowing to its interior.
The entrance to Glacier Chocolate.
Glacier Chocolate:
The theme and style of glacier was of course very candy focused. Get ready to feel like you’ve just stepped into Santa’s gourmet workshop. The best way to describe it would be, festive decor with a sweet twist. The shop was stocked with edible decorations and stunning holiday packaging, (While the packaging was adorable, they were running on very low stock and couldn’t give me a holiday bag). Glacier holiday chocolates, truffle sets, and cocoa kits are perfect for gifting. Personally I think that the 6 piece wrapped truffle boxes make perfect hostess gifts. The culture of the store is fun and inviting, with chocolate and ice cream samples adding to the Christmas experience. The entire ceiling was covered in green garlands and ornaments making it look like a huge tree. Their advent calendars were on display as well as little wrapped presents all around the store. If you are interested, there is the opportunity to purchase a staff-painted nutcracker canvas. I will say that the environment was a bit busy with multiple people making orders, the sounds of loud coffee machines running, and limited seating. In conclusion, it would not make a great place to sit down and stay a while; however, it is perfect for popping in to grab some chocolate.
To conclude, a Utica Square Christmas is truly the best type of Christmas. The atmosphere was buzzing with holiday spirit. I value Utica’s ability to follow tradition while also bringing in some newer aspects. This ensures that the public receives a nostalgic experience but also gets the excitement of new discoveries. Both a fan favorite but also my personal favorite has to be the nutcrackers. While this review features 3 of the beautiful staple nutcrackers, throughout all of the images there are an additional 6 hidden nutcrackers! I hope you enjoy searching for them. Utica Square is the perfect destination for family outings while also appealing to solo shoppers. I encourage all readers to grab a hot chocolate and gear up for some holiday cheer at Utica. Merry Christmas!
For the websites of the stores mentioned click here, Pottery Barn: https://www.potterybarn.com/, Amber Marie and Co.: https://www.ambermarieandcompany.com/, and Glacier Chocolates: https://glacierchocolate.com/.
