Christmas tree retailers find lots to like

MIFFLINBURG, Pa. — Christmas went on the auction block this week in Pennsylvania farm country, and there was no shortage of bidders. About 50,000 Christmas trees and enough wreaths, crafts and other seasonal items to fill an airplane hangar were bought and sold by lots and on consignment at the annual two-day event put on at the Buffalo Valley Produce Auction in Mifflinburg. Buyers from across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic were there to supply garden stores, corner lots and other retail outlets for the coming rush of customers eager to bring home a tree — most commonly a Fraser fir — or to deck the halls with miles of greenery. Bundled-up buyers were out in chilly temperatures to hear auctioneers hawk boxes of ornaments, bunches of winterberry, cotton branches, icicle lights, grave blankets, red bows and tree stands. It was nearly everything you would need for Christmas except the food and the presents. Americans' Christmas tree buying habits have been evolving for many years. These days homes are less likely than in years past to have a tree at all, and those that do have trees are more likely to opt for an artificial tree over the natural type, said Marsha Gray with the Howell, Michigan-based Real Christmas Tree Board, a national trade group of Christmas tree farmers. Cory Stephens was back for a second year at the auction after his customers raved about the holiday decor he purchased there last year for A.A. Co. Farm, Lawn & Garden, his store a three-hour drive away in Pasadena, Maryland. He spent nearly $5,000 on Thursday. "It's incredible, it's changed our whole world," Stephens said. "If you know what you're looking for, it's very hard to beat the quality." Ryan Marshall spent about $8,000 on various decorations for resale at Ward's Berry Farm in Sharon, Massachusetts. Among his purchases were three skids of wreaths at $29 per wreath — and he expected to double his money. "The quality's good, and it's a place that you can pick it out yourself," he said. Gray said her group's research shows the main reason people pick a real tree over an artificial tree "is the scent. They want the fresh scent of a real Christmas tree in their home." Having children in the house also tends to correlate with picking a farm-grown tree, she said. An August survey by the Real Christmas Tree Board found that 84% of growers did not expect wholesale prices to increase this season. Buffalo Valley auction manager Neil Courtney said farm-grown tree prices seem to have stabilized, and he sees hope that the trend toward artificial trees can be reversed. "Long story short — we'll be back on top of the game shortly," Courtney said. "The live tree puts the real Christmas in your house." A survey by a trade group, the National Christmas Tree Association, found that more than 21 million farm-grown Christmas trees were sold in 2023, with median price of $75. About a quarter of them were purchased at a "choose-and-cut" farm, one in five from a chain store, and most of the rest from nurseries, retail lots, nonprofit sales and online.