Mike Tavares walks between two trees while arranging rows of Christmas trees Wednesday at a lot on Frazier Avenue on Chattanooga’s North Shore. The largest sales of Christmas trees occur the week after Thanksgiving.Christmas Trees By the Numbers:* 21.6 million — real trees sold in 2011 in the U.S.* 12.9 million — artificial trees sold in 2011 in the U.S.* $984 million — amount brought in by the real tree industry* $1.01 billion — amount brought in by the artificial tree industry* $46 — average cost of a real tree* $78 — average cost of an artificial treeSource: American Christmas Tree AssociationWhere did people buy last year* Twenty-nine percent of households surveyed purchased their real tree at a tree lot for an average cost of $48 per tree* Twenty-four percent purchased their tree at a tree farm for an average price of $46* Sixteen percent were purchased at a home improvement/DIY store for an average price of $44* Seven percent were purchased at a garden center for an average price of $53* Seven percent said they were not sure where the tree was purchased* The remaining 17 percent of trees were purchased at various other locationsSource: American Christmas Tree Association
The artificial versus real Christmas tree debate seems to have calmed some this year as family incomes have stabilized, and dealers troubled by poor sales last year say they are preparing for a more festive holiday, whether fake or fresh.
Last year, according to data from the American Christmas Tree Association, a nonprofit linked to the artificial tree industry, 21.6 million real trees were purchased in the U.S. and 12.9 million artificial trees were purchased. Eleven percent of consumers bought both, the survey of 30,000 people showed.
On the Monday before Thanksgiving, Mike Tavares was lining up bright evergreens under a white tent on Chattanooga’s North Shore. By the end of next week the lot will begin to look picked over, he said.
His soft-bristled Fraser Firs come in from Western North Carolina and range in price from $29 to $249. This is his third year selling in Chattanooga, and he said he has found everyone looks for something different.