Number of the Day
Why Christmas Trees Are Ridiculously Expensive This Year
The crop size now available to meet pandemic-era demand was shaped by the late-aughts recession
$81: That’s the expected median price for a real (not plastic) Christmas tree in 2020 — up 7% over 2019 and 23% over 2018, according to Bloomberg. Last year, Americans spent an estimated $2 billion on more than 26 million trees.
Lots of Americans who celebrate Christmas seem ready to splurge on trees, decorations, and related trappings this year, perhaps looking to make the most of a homebound holiday at the end of a year that was light on celebratory occasions. Interestingly, it can take a decade for the trees to grow to a suitable height, so the crop size now available to meet pandemic-era demand was shaped by the late-aughts recession.
Specific pricing of course varies by size and region, but the broader trends seem likely to extend a rising price streak dating back to about 2016. And some markets have reportedly seen extreme supply-and-demand disconnects — like 8-foot noble firs selling for $2,167 a pop in Hong Kong, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Maybe just buy a fake one?
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