Real Christmas trees are expected to sell out quickly this year

Maybe it’s the fresh, evergreen scent. Or maybe it’s because it brings back a pleasant childhood memory. Or it could be because part of your annual family vacation involves choosing the perfect tree together.

But despite concerns about reduced spending, many Christmas tree growers expect to sell even more trees this year than last year – and most of them said they don’t plan to increase wholesale prices.

Most of them say that the price increases will not be as big as in previous years.

At Blake’s Orchard & Cider Mill in Armada, which was selling Christmas trees Friday – many of which buyers could cut for $60 to more than $200 – sales were brisk, with some snow, sunshine and even photos with Santa.

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“What’s more traditional than a real Christmas tree and a real Christmas tree scent in your home?” Shelby Ackerman, the director of experiences at Blake’s, told the Free Press. “People are looking for life experiences.”

However, Christmas tree industry experts add: If you want a real tree – as opposed to a plastic one – you shouldn’t wait too long to get it.

It takes a decade or more to grow the trees but only a few weeks to sell them.

“For the greatest selection and availability, plan ahead and shop early,” said Marsha Gray, executive director of the Real Christmas Tree Board in Howell. “Some retailers may close early or have a reduced selection, while others may have exactly what you’re looking for.”

Of course, this is exactly what you would expect from people who sell trees for a living.

Still, you probably don’t want to be stuck with a puny tree like the one in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the animated TV special that first aired in 1965. However, failing to understand the message of the 25-minute segment was too caught up in holiday commercialism.

And in the end, with a lot of love, Charlie Brown’s pitiful sapling became a magnificent tree.

Remember that the Real Christmas Tree Board, originally appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in 2015 and formerly known as the Christmas Tree Promotion Board, is a program designed to convince you to buy a fresh Christmas tree, or two or three.

The board offers, among other things, a virtual guide to different tree species. It explains the differences between Douglas fir, Fraser fir, noble fir and Scots pine, white pine and Virginia pine, as well as the location, needle length, branch structure and scent where they grow.

The board also compiles the results of an annual survey of Christmas tree growers.

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This year, 45 growers responded to this year’s survey, representing about half to two-thirds of the real Christmas tree market in the United States. Sixty percent of respondents said they do not expect their wholesale prices to increase this year.

Last year only 27% said the same.

And in a survey of Christmas tree buyers, almost a quarter – 23% – said they plan to buy a real Christmas tree for the first time this year. They said they’re looking forward to “a little more peace and quiet” and “a healthy dose of joy when they do it.”

More than 80% of respondents said that the smell of a real Christmas tree makes their home festive, a real Christmas tree enriches their holiday experience, and the smell of a real Christmas tree relaxes them.

So if you can handle the stress of getting a tree early in a place like Blake’s, you’ll have more time to enjoy your TV special moments where your loved ones gather around and start chanting “Hark!” “The Herald Angles Sing,” to hum. “Snowflakes shimmer outside.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or [email protected].

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Real Christmas trees are expected to sell out quickly this year

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