TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As prices climb for artificial Christmas trees this holiday season, many shoppers are rediscovering the appeal of a freshly cut fir or pine.
According to the American Christmas Tree Association, prices on artificial Christmas trees are up anywhere from 10% to 15% this year. That increase — driven in part by import tariffs on Chinese goods — has made real trees look more attractive in comparison. In cities such as Tucson, longtime seasonal sellers say they’re seeing a shift back toward natural trees.
“You can’t beat a real Christmas tree versus plastic,” said Zeyn O’Leary, owner of Zeyn’s Christmas Trees. “I mean you can just touch them and smell them, they just feel different,” O'Leary said.
He added that his family has deep roots in the tree business. “I’ve always been surrounded by big tree trees, doesn’t matter where I’ve been … whether it’s been in the Christmas-tree field, or logging up in the woods of Oregon,” he said.
O’Leary said that, despite the surge in demand, he has kept his own tree prices largely stable, raising prices only “a dollar or two” in most cases to keep pace with inflation.
Earlier this year, industry experts forecast that Americans will spend about $1.9 billion on real Christmas trees in 2024, up from roughly $1.6 billion in 2023 — a sign that interest in cut trees may be growing.
Part of the shifting landscape is traced to trade policy. Most artificial trees sold in the U.S. are manufactured overseas — primarily in China — and recent tariffs have significantly increased their cost.
Meanwhile, real-tree growers say supply remains healthy. According to the Real Christmas Tree Board, growers across the country are prepared to meet demand; 84% surveyed said they did not plan to raise wholesale prices this season.
Beyond cost, many customers say the holiday experience and ambiance of a live tree remain tough to beat. In a recent Real Christmas Tree Board survey, 85% of respondents said a live tree “brings joy to everyone who sees and smells them.” More than 80% cited the scent of a real tree as their primary motivation for buying one.
This year may be an inflection point for the holiday-season staple. As more consumers reckon with higher prices on artificial trees, real ones — with their fragrance, tradition and domestic sourcing — are regaining momentum.
“I think more people that were buying plastic trees in the past are now kinda branching out a little bit and experimenting with a real Christmas tree, maybe for the first time in years,” O’Leary said.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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