Seattle-area lot owner says don’t wait to buy your Christmas tree this year
Nov 30, 2021, 5:02 AM
Christmas trees at a seasonal sales lot. (File photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(File photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
If you get your Christmas tree at a place that’s been selling them year after year, you likely don’t need to worry about the talk of a supply chain problem this year since most local tree lots have long-term relationships with growers and get first dibs.
But that tree could be more expensive this year.
24 things to do in Seattle for the holidays
In Washington, some lot owners — like Vanessa Dennison, who helps manage the scout troop 100 lot in Ballard — have the option of getting their own trees rather than waiting for shipments.
“We can drive to the Peninsula and get our trees in with our own trucks. We don’t have to worry about shipping,” Dennison told KIRO Radio.
She says they will get all the trees they have ordered this year, but getting your Christmas tree sooner is advised. Dennison also warns that the lot she manages sells out every year.
“I wouldn’t wait because once they’re gone, they’re gone,” she said.
Beloved holiday traditions return to Seattle area after COVID hiatus
There will be more competition for Christmas trees this year as well, Dennison says, in part because the summer heat wave in Washington burned some of the trees being grown in the state.
“There is a hot competition for growers and trees if you don’t already have a relationship with a grower,” Dennison told KIRO Radio.
Some tree farms are charging up to 10% more this year, she added.
At the scouts’ lot, however, the prices are not a lot higher this year, but they may have to increase prices in the future for various reasons — including climate change and the number of local growers retiring with no one to take over the business.
“As people age out or retire, some of those farms are going to start closing over the years. Obviously, people are struggling with climate change and the impacts of climate, like we saw this summer,” she explained.
The scouts’ trees sell for $39 to $130. Their lot is located at the St. Alphonsus Parish Parking Lot in Ballard. It will be open until Dec. 15, or until they run out of trees.
