Why Youll Probably Pay More for Your Christmas Tree This Year

[FSogol]

Those looking for the perfect Christmas tree this year may find it hard to come by, or at least about 10 percent more expensive than last year. Blame the Great Recession.

Tree sellers warn that market forces tied to the financial crisis, and amplified by the recovery, are driving up the price of trees and, in some parts of the country, making them scarce.

For anyone who might forget, many people in the United States were not feeling particularly festive in 2008. They bought fewer items as the country slid into its deepest downturn since the Depression. Growers responded by cutting down fewer Christmas trees to sell. That left less space to plant replacements and, ultimately, a smaller-than-usual batch of seedlings.

“We’re not going to be short — everybody looking for a real tree will be able to get one,” said Doug Hundley, a spokesman for the National Christmas Tree Association, a trade group. “But it is a tight market, and prices will rise.”

Whole article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/business/christmas-tree-shortage-recession.html?_r=0

Bottom line, Bush crashed the economy and too many people got out of the tree business in 2008.

I sought this out since the stores near my house (No. VA) had less trees than normal and were priced about $20 more per tree.
My SIL in West Palm Beach said that trees were selling for $150 and the Fire Department that sells them to my parents in the Shenandoah Valley didn't get any trees this year. Are trees scare where you live?

[jberryhill]

1. I love these "you" headlines

Uhmmm, nope. All it cost me was going down to the basement, hauling it up, and assembling it.

[Iggo]

8. The "we" ones are good, too.

"Why we can't get enough of..."

[MineralMan]

2. Still using the 6' artificial tree we bought 20 years ago.

Surprisingly, it still looks like new.

[Chipper Chat]

5. I bought one from k-mart in 1988.

It was on sale for $17.00. Still using it although those color swabs that identify the branch lengths have faded making it difficult to set it up perfectly. But that's part of the fun.

[MineralMan]

6. They've faded on mine, too. When I take it apart every year,

I carefully group the branches into lengths and stack them in the box in reverse order as they come off. Then, the next year, they're all together in groups of six branches of each length. Otherwise, the tree would be sorta funny looking.

[Chipper Chat]

10. I still have the original box

and am always amazed that the whole tree AND stand fit inside (the box must be wrapped with fresh duck tape of course.)

[MineralMan]

11. Yes, so do I. No duct tape needed so far.

As long as I carefully compress the branchlets down, it all fits back in the box and lets me close the flaps. I asked my wife how much she paid for it 20 years ago. She thinks it was about $25. They are certainly a lot more expensive these days.

[Chipper Chat]

12. This one listed for $79 so I thought "what a bargain."

Even came with a 10yr warranty. Box says "made in Thailand." It just came to me that Reagan was just about to leave office when I bought it. That's how old it is.

[MineralMan]

13. You got the Deluxe model.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. I cut my own from my own land, so.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. I went fake

5 years ago when I got married. My husband has terrible allergies to live trees. Actually - six years - we lived together the Christmas in between getting engaged and getting married.

[Wounded Bear]

7. Oddly enough, I saw a bit on this on the Weather Channel...

they were talking about how trees take about 6-10 years to grow to the right height. So yeah, here we are still recovering in one way from the Bush recession. Out west we were having drought conditions back then, too, so that contributed.

I know there are some ultra-greens that hate the Christmas tree trade, but I don't see a huge downside to it.

[WillowTree]

9. No tree for me these days.

I have a kitty who simply cannot resist climbing/knocking over/destroying a Christmas tree, so I don't bother.