The demdaco Order That Arrived 4 Days Late — And What It Taught Me About Emergency Gift Sourcing

When the shipment tracker said "delayed" — 5 days before our biggest weekend

It was December 9, 2024. I was standing in the back room of our gift shop in Portland, staring at a tracking page that said our demdaco order was "in transit" — which, according to the carrier, basically meant "somewhere between a warehouse in Ohio and the Pacific Northwest, probably."

We'd placed that order six weeks earlier. It included three sets of demdaco ornaments for our holiday display, a nine-piece Willow Tree nativity set, two home fragrance diffusers, and a crystal ornament collection we'd planned to feature in the front window. The order was supposed to arrive December 4. That gave us a full week to build the display before December 13 — the Saturday our local business association was running its annual holiday shopping event.

Then the email came. "We're experiencing inventory shortages on several items. Your order will ship in two parts. The nativity set and crystal ornament collection are on backorder until December 18."

December 18. The event was on the 13th.

I'm the person who handles all our vendor orders and display planning. In my five years running procurement for this shop, I'd dealt with late shipments before. But this one was different — the demdaco Willow Tree nativity set was the centerpiece of our entire holiday window. And I had 96 hours to figure out an alternative.

The scramble: what I tried, what worked, and what was a waste of time

My first call was to demdaco's customer service line. (In case you're wondering, yes, it was a 45-minute hold. Holiday season, everyone's doing this.) The rep was sympathetic but clear: the nativity set was out of stock until mid-December, and there was no way to expedite it. She offered to upgrade the diffusers and ornaments to overnight shipping at no charge. That helped for part of the order, but didn't solve the nativity problem.

Here's where I made a mistake. My first instinct was to hit the big marketplace sites and look for the same demdaco nativity set from third-party sellers. I found a few listings, but the prices were 40% above retail (some were over $150 for a set that normally retails around $80), and I couldn't verify authenticity. One seller had a generic photo that looked like it was taken off the demdaco website. Red flag. I'm not paying a 40% markup to a seller who can't tell me where they sourced the product.

So I shifted strategy. I called four local gift shops within a 20-mile radius — places I knew carried demdaco because I'd seen the demdaco logo on their shelves before. Three said they were sold out of nativity sets. The fourth, a shop in Beaverton, had one set left. They agreed to transfer it to me at cost (roughly $72) if I could pick it up that afternoon. I did. It took two hours of driving and probably $15 in gas, but it was worth it.

That's when I had a realization: the question everyone asks is "which online retailer has it in stock?" The question they should ask is "who within driving distance might have it and be willing to trade?" In a pinch, your local network is usually faster than any warehouse.

The unexpected part: setting up the nativity scene correctly (which I almost botched)

I got the nativity set back to the shop with about 48 hours to spare. That's when another issue surfaced — one that had nothing to do with shipping.

I'd never actually set up a Willow Tree nativity scene before. Our previous displays used different products. So I did what most people do: I looked at the box, saw "nine-piece set," and assumed the figures went in the order they were packed.

Big mistake. The arrangement was awkward. The angel figure kept toppling over because I'd placed it on an uneven part of the display platform. The three wise men were clustered together like they were waiting for a bus. And the stable looked like it had been assembled by someone who'd never seen a barn.

I called a friend who collects Willow Tree. She laughed at me — politely — and then walked me through it. According to her (and later confirmed by the demdaco product guide that came in the box, which I'd apparently ignored the first time), here's the general approach for setting up a nativity scene:

• Start with the stable structure — make sure the base is level and stable before placing any figures
• Place the holy family first — Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus figure in the center; the baby typically sits in the manger at the front-center of the stable
• Position the angel above or behind the stable — the angel usually goes at the top or on a raised section; if it keeps falling, use a small piece of museum putty (I found this out the hard way)
• Arrange the wise men and shepherds outside the stable — they should face inward, creating a visual "path" toward the center; keep them staggered rather than in a straight line
• Add animals last — place them near the edges, slightly behind the human figures

In our case, I had the nine-piece set with the stable, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, angel, three wise men, and one shepherd. Once I rearranged everything — angel anchored with putty, wise men staggered and facing inward — the whole display looked intentional instead of chaotic. The difference was honestly pretty dramatic.

The lesson here is simple: if you're setting up a nativity scene for a display, don't just unpack and position. Follow the product guide, start with the stable, and work outward from the center. Ten minutes of planning saves you an hour of re-doing.

What the final display looked like (and the one item that almost didn't make it)

By December 11, the display was done. The nativity set was front and center. The crystal ornament collection — which arrived via overnight shipping on the 10th — hung from the top of the window frame, catching the light from the street. The diffusers (I'd chosen the lavender and cedarwood scents) sat on pedestals near the entrance, so the smell hit customers as soon as they walked in.

The one issue? Our demdaco ornaments — the three sets we'd originally planned — arrived on December 12. One day before the event. They were supposed to be part of the main window display, but there was no time to incorporate them properly. We ended up hanging them on a small tree near the register instead. Not ideal, but at least they were visible.

I've seen a lot of holiday displays over the years. Some vendors treat ornaments like an afterthought. But demdaco's ornament designs — especially the Willow Tree ones — have a kind of quiet, handcrafted quality that doesn't need much staging. Just hang them at eye level and let them be.

The real lesson: buffers matter more than discounts

Looking back, the nativity set almost didn't make it. Not because demdaco dropped the ball (though the backorder was frustrating), but because I didn't build in enough buffer time. I ordered six weeks out, which felt generous — but I didn't account for the possibility of a split shipment. I assumed "in stock" meant "will ship immediately and arrive on time." That's not always how it works.

Here's what I'd do differently next time:

1. Order 8-10 weeks out for holiday displays, not 6. The extra two weeks buys you a buffer if something goes wrong.
2. Confirm the specific SKUs are in stock before you finalize your display plan. Don't design around products that might not arrive.
3. Have a local backup for centerpiece items. For us, that meant knowing which nearby shops carried demdaco and being willing to trade or buy at cost if needed.
4. Read the product guide before assembly. (I know. I know. But seriously, the nativity setup would have been a mess without it.)

The event went well, by the way. The nativity display got a lot of attention — one customer asked if she could buy the whole set on the spot. (I told her no. It was for display.) But that moment made me realize something: the products themselves are good. demdaco has been making these designs for years, and they still hold up. The real challenge isn't the product — it's the logistics around getting them on time and setting them up correctly.

If you're planning a holiday display or a corporate gift order that involves demdaco products, here's my advice: start earlier than you think you need to. Build in a buffer. And if something goes wrong, call local shops before you hit the third-party marketplaces. You'll usually get a better price and a much faster turnaround.

"An informed customer asks better questions and makes faster decisions." That's something I've started telling my own team. It applies here too. Understanding how demdaco distributes its products — and how nativity scenes should be arranged — makes the whole process smoother. No one needs to learn the hard way.

Prices referenced in this article are based on our actual purchase records from December 2024 and may vary by retailer and season. For current demdaco product availability, check with authorized dealers or the official demdaco website.