Summerville, South Carolina — As millions of Americans begin their search for the ideal Christmas tree, tree farms are preparing to fulfill the increased demand.
Mistletoe Tree Farm in Summerville hopes to sell over 1,000 trees this season.
“It’s not a shortage; we just didn’t expect the demand to be this fast,” said the farm’s owner and operator, Robert Zdenek. So far, the farm has sold roughly 350 trees, with an expected total of 1,100.
When it comes to purchasing trees, shoppers like Kate Toms have distinct tastes.
“So, a Frazier F from North Carolina,” Toms explained. “I kind of appreciate how tall they are, character. You know, some strange stuff going on.”
Despite the American Christmas Tree Association’s estimate that 25 to 30 million real trees are sold each year, 83% of households are expected to use artificial trees this season.
Prices for real and fake trees are rising.
“They have, absolutely,” Toms said of the price rise. “I remember I would always go with my mom to pick ’em out and they would be like maybe 80, 70 bucks, but I think it’s doubled maybe in the past four to five years.”
Zdenek noticed a trend in which customers returned to real trees after purchasing artificial ones last year.
“We have a lot of customers that bought fake last year and now they’re buying real, so they’re not sure what to do. So we kind of help ’em take a stand and teach them,” he explained.
Many people value the experience and tradition of having a real tree.
“I enjoy the fragrance. Toms added, “I also like to support local; they come from farms and everything.” “It’s always a good way to, you know, get out and do stuff.”
