The Billion Dollar Christmas Tree Industry

CHRISTMAS TREE FACTS courtesy of the Economist:

According to a survey by the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), a trade group, Americans spent more than $1 billion on 25m trees in 2012. The average price they said they paid was $40. But not all Christmas trees are alike. People on the East Coast like Fraser firs, with their typical evergreen fragrance. Oregon’s Grand Fir, which has an orange-like scent, is popular in California.

Also this:

Of 35m sold every year, 70% sprout from the ground. Despite a rise in sales a decade ago, fake trees have lost their sparkle since the financial crisis. But according to the American Christmas Tree Association, a trade group that claims to represent both types of tree, 83% of homes have a fake shrub.

We didn’t get a tree this year. We said it’s because we’re going out of town for Christmas, but we do that every year so I suspect the real reason was closer to “not wanting to spend $60 and/or dig through the basement to find our ornaments.” And yet! Dustin came home last night with a wreath, which we hung in the kitchen since we don’t have a real home. I just yelled to the other room to ask him how much it costs: “Ten bucks. A deli wreath. Why, are we making a budget?”

Photo: sdminor81

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