Jacqueline GaNun

• “6 Simple Touches That Will Elevate Your Thanksgiving Table, According To Designers,” Southern Living
• “19 Colorful Diwali Decoration Ideas to Fill Your Home With Joy,” House Beautiful
• “A Cottage Christmas,” Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles
• “Season’s Gatherings,” Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles
• “How Shea McGee Is Making the Most of the Holidays This Year,” Better Homes & Gardens
• “This Florida Cottage Was Made For Holiday Hosting,” Southern Living
• “Most Halloween Decor Is Junk. We Found 25 Items That Will Charm and Spook You Year After Year.” The New York Times

These articles reinforced how many forms a seasonal decor story can take, from listicles (“Diwali,” “Halloween Decor”) to Q&As (“Shea McGee”) to a series of vignettes (“Season’s Gatherings”) to traditional narratives with subheads (“Florida Cottage”).

Thanksgiving Table

• Table of contents is helpful
• Named cities of some sources (Charlotte and Atlanta) but not all
  • Big Southern cities make sense for the magazine’s audience
• Very specific products that are pictured and linked — no disclaimer that the magazine may make money off affiliate links

Diwali Decoration

• Seamlessly wove in information about the holiday for audiences who might not be familiar with it (will try to emulate in my seasonal decor story)
• Diversity in where products can be purchased, including Etsy, Walmart and Amazon
• Focus on children’s products for households with kids

Cottage Christmas

• Lots of details, including brand names (ex. “Spode Christmas china,” which is something I haven’t heard of but is probably a known brand among homeowners and this magazine’s audience)

Season’s Gatherings

• Each vignette has a different vibe and thesis

Shea McGee

• Seems very SEO-focused
  • Repeats “Shea McGee” in a subhead that almost looks like another headline — “How Shea McGee Is Making the Most of the Holidays This Year” is the hed and “Holiday Traditions, Decor Ideas, and Hosting Tips from Shea McGee” comes after the intro
  • Lots of links, especially in the intro, which is good for SEO
• I like the quote boxes throughout — I wonder if this was a written response from McGee or if the writer took liberties to add exclamation points

Florida Cottage

• Very focused on the owners’ personal lives and their story as a family
• The photos are very intentional and styled

Halloween Decor

• The intro is very personal, providing background about the writer
• Emphasis on the longevity of products
• Also contains lots of links, plus a bespoke content box you can click on for a Wirecutter affiliate link
  • Like “Thanksgiving Table,” doesn’t specify that they may receive commission off affiliate link purchases
• Has an update from September 2024 titled “FYI” that they added multiple new items to the list