I shopped at Michaels and Hobby Lobby for fall decorations, and I prefer the chain with the darker selection

After roaming around Hobby Lobby for quite some time looking for skeletons and spookiness, I approached an associate to ask if they had run out of Halloween decorations.

"Oh, we don't do that here," she responded. "We have fall decor."

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Hobby Lobby's CEO is a devout Christian, and some Christians view Halloween as a pagan holiday and don't celebrate it.

Still, it had not occurred to me in advance that the controversial craft retailer would completely keep Halloween out of its stores.

When I walked into my local Michaels, I was greeted with scary-faced ghouls, spooky skeletons, and more. My Halloween-loving heart immediately felt at home.

The good news is, when I'm ready to set a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner table, I know Hobby Lobby will have me covered.

Its entire fall decor line is centered on harvests and pumpkin patches, with tons of Thanksgiving-specific decor, paper goods, and more.

Although I saw some Thanksgiving crafts and paper goods at Michaels, those were minimal.

Instead, the mood was much more sinister, with everything one could need to deck the halls with things like creepy dolls and murderous blackbirds.

At Hobby Lobby, there were many fall-themed characters, from scarecrows to black crows dressed up as scarecrows. 

I found yard stakes, stand-up versions of the characters, and even ones that could be hung up. 

At Michaels, the same styles of characters existed, from creepy dolls to prop up in your home to pumpkin and skeleton phantoms to hang in trees.

I didn't see more fall-themed characters like scarecrows, but I saw plenty of jump-scare-worthy additions I considered taking home.

Hobby Lobby was stocked with wall art with phrases like "Hello, pumpkin" and "Meet me at the pumpkin patch."

The overall theming of these items gave a farmhouse vibe, and they'd all look beautiful in a home that was preparing for Thanksgiving.

At Michaels, wall art featured sayings like "Love you to death" and "Spells cast here." There was a section of really beautiful floral skull art with additions like snakes and ravens.

Michaels' Halloween decor was giving Edgar Allan Poe, and I was there for it.

If you like adding themed yard stakes to the grass and planters around your home, Hobby Lobby has you covered with many autumnal options.

This craft store is a great pick for anyone looking to create a pumpkin-patch-style yard — I found metal sunflowers, scarecrows, farm trucks, and pumpkins.

Michaels, on the other hand, had lots of wooden yard signs with scary sayings like "Welcome, my pretties" and "Beware of monsters."

Emblazoned with cute sheet ghosts and witch hats, the signs came in various styles and were painted in classic Halloween hues like black, orange, purple, and green.

Fall leaves, plump orange pumpkins, and gorgeous gourds filled the floral and craft sections at Hobby Lobby.

Again, the selection at this store felt perfect for my post-Halloween dive into creating a beautiful Thanksgiving table centerpiece, but it didn't really give me decor inspiration for Halloween or most of October.

From kids' craft kits to dark artificial flowers, Michaels is the place to go if you're looking to create some Halloween-themed crafts at home.

I loved the cute garlands made up of sheet ghosts and skeletons and spent a lot of time perusing jars of fake eyeballs and brains that could be used in home Halloween decor. 

I visited Hobby Lobby over the last weekend in September and was a little shocked to be greeted at the store entrance by a full-on winter display.

Walking through the store, I saw aisles and aisles of Christmas trees, ornaments, wrapping paper, Santa statues, and more. It felt early, but I also like decorating for Christmas, so I'll definitely go back when the season gets closer.

I saw aisles where my local Michaels was in the early stages of setting up Christmas trees and decor, but the store was still completely in fall mode. Most of the winter holiday items were still in boxes. 

I realized I wasn't mad about seeing Christmas products out so early, but I liked that the store was on a slower trajectory to full-tilt Santa status than Hobby Lobby.

I wasn't ready for Thanksgiving decor, much less Christmas, so shopping at Hobby Lobby felt a little over-the-top to me.

Although the store had fall-themed products throughout and plenty of the discounts chain craft stores are known for, there wasn't a lot of merchandise I'd have considered buying.

This chain may be a better pick for those who prefer decorating for fall as a season, not so much Halloween. I know I'll definitely go back after Halloween when I'm decorating for Thanksgiving. 

There are other chain craft stores that sell Halloween decor, from Joann to A.C. Moore. Still, Michaels has always been my favorite spot to purchase Halloween decorations for its solid selections and generous percent-off discounts.

In fact, I left the store with not one, but two, creepy dolls to add to this year's Halloween lineup. Each year, Michaels keeps staples like skeletons and spooky pumpkins but manages to add interesting new products that keep me coming back.

I definitely suggest checking out the chain if you're looking to elevate your decor this October.