Michaels and Hallmark have teamed up for "Holiday Unplugged," a run of free in-store craft sessions starting November 1, 2026 and stretching through mid-December across more than 1,300 Michaels stores nationwide. Every session includes all the materials, and you do not need to buy anything to participate.
We verified the program through the official Michaels press release, published October 20, 2026, and the Michaels × Hallmark event landing page.
The pitch is straightforward: get families off their screens for an afternoon of hand-made holiday cards, paper ornaments, and air-dry clay figurines.
This is a step up from Michaels' usual in-store make-and-take. The partner this time is Hallmark, which means a handful of sessions feature Hallmark artists in person at two pilot stores only. The rest of the 1,300-plus Michaels locations run the same craft tables with store associates.
Below we list every confirmed session, the two-store artist-exception you need to know about, and the practical rules that decide whether you walk out with an ornament or drive home empty-handed.
Quick Summary
What | Free in-store holiday crafts |
|---|---|
Who | Families, kids, and adults |
Where | 1,300+ Michaels stores |
When | Nov 1 – mid-Dec 2026 |
How | Walk in during session hours |
Limit | Materials limited, first-come |
Cost | $0, supplies included |
What Is the Deal
Holiday Unplugged is a free drop-in craft series hosted at Michaels stores in partnership with Hallmark. Each 1- to 2-hour session is centered on one hand-made project — a stitched card, a paper ornament, a clay figurine — and Michaels provides the materials table, instructions, and staff help.
You do not need a coupon, a Michaels Rewards account, or a purchase. You do not need to register online (we could not find a mandatory reservation flow on the event landing page). You simply show up at your local Michaels during the listed hours and join the next available table.
The program runs through mid-December. The press release frames it as a reaction to screen-time fatigue during the holidays — a low-effort afternoon that produces something tangible you can actually put on the fridge or the tree.
What's Free
Everything you need for the craft itself is free. You do not leave with a finished product in a box; you build it at the table and walk out with it.
All craft materials (paper, twine, clay, glue, paint, cards, envelopes).
Step-by-step instruction from store associates.
A finished project you take home for zero out-of-pocket cost.
Here are the sessions we have confirmed from the press release and event page. Times are local to each store.
Sun Nov 1, 1–3 PM: Hand-Stitched Card.
Sat Nov 7, 10 AM–noon: Holiday Workshop: Paper Ornaments.
Sat Nov 7, 1–3 PM: Paint-Scrape Cards (Hallmark artist in person at only two stores — see Fine Print).
Sun Nov 8, 1–3 PM: Holiday Ornament.
Sat Nov 14, 10 AM–noon: Kids Club Air-Dry Clay Figurines.
Sun Nov 15, 1–3 PM: Cookie Cutter Clay Ornaments.
December dates (Dec 6, 12, 13, 19): additional sessions, exact times to confirm at your store.
The clay sessions tie into the broader home hobby of air-dry clay crafting on Wikipedia. We also covered Michaels' earlier free Halloween craft, the chenille-stem ghost or spider make-and-take on Oct 24, if you want to see how the typical Michaels event runs.
To help families plan the month, here is how the Michaels × Hallmark schedule stacks up against other free kid events the same weekends.
On Sat Nov 7, Michaels runs Paper Ornaments at 10 AM and Paint-Scrape Cards at 1 PM, while the Home Depot kids dump-truck workshop also starts at 9 AM — you can do Home Depot in the morning and Michaels in the afternoon.
On Sat Nov 14, Michaels Kids Club clay is 10 AM to noon; Barnes & Noble's free LEGO Snowman build typically runs the same morning window at most stores, so call ahead to pick one rather than double-booking.
How to Claim Step by Step
Find your nearest Michaels on the store locator and confirm it is one of the participating locations.
Check the Hallmark Unplugged landing page for the session you want and the local start time.
Call the store 24–48 hours ahead and ask whether materials for that session are still in stock.
Arrive at least 15–20 minutes before the listed start time to secure a spot at the table.
Check in at the front desk or the craft table; staff will point you to supplies.
Build the project at the table and take it home when you finish.
The biggest failure point: Michaels does not guarantee materials. Every session has a finite kit count, and once the table runs out, the store turns people away even if the session window is still open. Calling ahead and arriving early is the difference between making the craft and watching the table get cleared.
You do not need to bring anything. Michaels provides scissors, glue, paint, and cleanup wipes. Kids are welcome, and the November 14 Kids Club clay session is explicitly aimed at children.
Who Is Eligible
Any person who can physically walk into a participating Michaels store during the session hours can join. There is no age gate, no Michaels Rewards requirement, and no purchase minimum. The events are family-oriented, and younger kids will need an adult at the table.
The Hallmark artist appearances are the one exception. The in-person artist sessions on November 7 are only at Michaels in Lenexa, Kansas and Michaels at 675 Avenue of the Americas in New York City. At every other store on November 7, the Paint-Scrape Cards session is still free and still run, but a Hallmark artist will not be present.
If you are not near either pilot store, you are still eligible for every other session at your local Michaels. The artist drop-in is a bonus, not a gate.
Important Fine Print
Read these before you drive across town.
Materials are limited and first-come, first-served. When the kit count runs out, the session ends early for that day.
Store-by-store confirmation is essential. Michaels says "participating locations," but exact start times and Dec dates vary. Call ahead via the Michaels help center if you cannot reach your store directly.
Hallmark artist appearances are only at two stores: Lenexa KS and 675 Ave of the Americas, NYC. Everywhere else, regular associates run the table.
No registration required — but that also means no reservation protection. Showing up at 2:55 PM for a 1–3 PM session is a gamble.
No purchase necessary. If a store associate pressures you into a basket to participate, that is not part of the official program.
December sessions (Dec 6, 12, 13, 19) are confirmed to exist but exact start times are not locked on the press release. Re-check the event page the week of.
If you are targeting the December dates, plan on the same 1–3 PM Sunday / 10 AM–noon Saturday rhythm. Bring a reusable tote for wet clay pieces (they need a flat ride home), baby wipes for paint hands, and a small folder for flat paper ornaments. Michaels provides scissors and glue, so you do not need to pack craft supplies.
If you are already planning a free kid event on November 7, our write-up of the Home Depot free kids workshop — build a dump truck on Nov 7 lines up with the same Saturday morning slot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register for the Michaels Holiday Unplugged crafts?
No. The official event landing page describes the sessions as drop-in, and the press release does not require a sign-up form.
That is good news for spontaneous plans, but it also means there is no waitlist if materials run out. The most reliable workaround is to call the store the day before and ask how many kits they have prepped for that session, then arrive 15–20 minutes early.
Is there a purchase minimum to participate?
No. The program is explicitly free, materials included, no purchase required. Michaels is using the craft table as a traffic event, not as a coupon gate. You are allowed to browse the store afterward, but nothing on the Hallmark Unplugged page conditions the free craft on buying a basket.
If a local store asks you to shop first to sit at the table, that is not part of the national program and you can escalate it through the Michaels help center.
Where are the Hallmark artist sessions held?
Hallmark artists are only appearing at two Michaels stores for the November 7 Paint-Scrape Cards session: Michaels in Lenexa, Kansas and Michaels at 675 Avenue of the Americas, New York City. At every other Michaels in the US on November 7, the Paint-Scrape Cards table is still free and still staffed, but a Hallmark artist will not be there.
This is stated in the official press release; do not drive expecting an artist at a random suburban store.
Can my kids join, and which session is best for them?
Yes, kids are welcome at every session. The November 14, 10 AM–noon Kids Club Air-Dry Clay Figurines is the most kid-oriented of the confirmed dates, followed by the November 15, 1–3 PM Cookie Cutter Clay Ornaments. Both use clay, which is messier but more tactile for younger kids.
The Hand-Stitched Card on November 1 and the Paint-Scrape Cards on November 7 lean older and better for elementary-age and up. We also covered the free LEGO Snowman build at Barnes & Noble in November as a second kid-friendly Saturday option.
What if my local Michaels is out of materials?
That happens. Michaels preps a finite number of kits per session and turns people away when they are gone. Your Plan B is to call the next-nearest Michaels 20 minutes away and ask whether their table is still open — sessions run the same 1–3 PM window at most stores, so a short drive usually works.
If you strike out entirely, the free LEGO Witch build at Barnes & Noble and the Home Depot kids dump-truck workshop on Nov 7 are the closest parallel free events that same weekend.
Similar Deals Worth Checking Out
The free kid-event weekend overlaps with a few other national make-and-take programs. The Home Depot free kids workshop — dump truck on Nov 7 runs the same Saturday morning slot.
Barnes & Noble is doing a free LEGO Snowman build in November and previously hosted the free LEGO Witch build in October.
We also covered Michaels' earlier Halloween craft, the chenille-stem ghost or spider session on Oct 24, which gives you a feel for how a typical Michaels drop-in runs on the day.
About Michaels and Hallmark
Michaels is the largest US arts-and-crafts retail chain, operating more than 1,300 stores across the country and sponsoring recurring free in-store events like Kids Club. You can read the broader retail history on the Michaels Wikipedia entry.
Hallmark is the Kansas City-based greeting-card and gifts company behind Hallmark Gold Crown stores and the Hallmark Channel; its background is on the Hallmark Wikipedia entry.
The two brands rarely co-brand at this scale. Holiday Unplugged is the seasonal push behind the Michaels × Hallmark landing page, and it positions both chains as antidotes to screen-time fatigue. For families, the practical takeaway is a free Saturday table in November and December at a store they already visit.
