TOWN OF EAST CONCORD, N.Y. (WKBW) — Tree vendors across the county will tell you - there's nothing artificial about inflation when it comes to the holiday decoration staple that is the Christmas tree.
Owner of Jake's Greenhouse Jacob Miller says this is his favorite time of year but, "it's just a very intense time."
Now that the holidays are here, it's all hands on deck at Jake's Greenhouse in East Concord.
Miller and his team have been helping customers decorate for the holidays with fresh-cut trees for close to 20 years.
"We are in this before you are trick-or-treating, making wreaths, and doing Christmas trees. It's a year-round business," Miller said.
However, just like with most things these days, you can expect to pay more for that perfect Frasier fir.
"I would say this tree is 8 dollars more than it was last year," Miller says the increase is unavoidable - with his costs going up for everything from shipping to fertilizer.
"You can grow junk trees... but those don't sell. So we need to do a good job of farming that tree - and that is where the cost comes in," Miller said.
And Jake's Greenhouse isn't alone - according to Finder.com, Americans are expected to spend over 13% more on Christmas trees in 2022. And that increase expands into the artificial Christmas tree business as well.
"A lot of us couldn't hold the price of the trees anymore," President of Christmas Central Nathan Gordon said. "Christmas Central is one of the largest retailers of Christmas and seasonal merchandise in the U.S. out of our Cheektowaga warehouses. We will ship around 2 million packages this holiday season."
And that includes a huge variety of artificial trees ranging from 2 1/2 to 16 feet... all are seeing an increase in price after holding flat for the last four years.
"The price of shipping from overseas doubled and tripled. Wages are up. Just about everything is up. So we had to price the Christmas trees accordingly," Gordon said.
Still, Gordon says demand remains strong with the warehouses buzzing on this Cyber Monday, and people ready to get into the holiday spirit.
"Over the last 20 years selling online, it's a happy time no matter how you celebrate. What your beliefs are - people just love celebrating. The days can be dark and cloudy. Put the lights on, tree up, and put some ornaments on it. It just makes for a happy atmosphere for everyone."
