In North Texas, the season for Christmas trees is now underway. The sellers of these trees are already warning customers that they should do so quickly, there will likely be a shortage of the cherished decorations this year.
“If you love Christmas trees, then the key is to come early so that you can get first dibs,” John Patton of Patton Christmas Trees told the press.
“Especially the people who like to get big trees… the biggest shortage are on the trees that are 8 to 9 feet and above.”
Course corrections at the last minute paint a grim picture. Buyers who are accustomed to getting their tree up early will be at an even the bigger advantage this year.
“Originally, the grower said, ‘sounds good, John… we’ll get you your entire order… and then, as we got closer to November, they all of a sudden started saying, ‘look, we just don’t have enough trees to fill everybody’s order,’” Patton said.
For growers, the temptation to grow hemp is just too great for many of them. The long-time it takes to grow trees, higher costs, and better options are all adding up to fewer trees available this year.
“Because, if you’re a farmer, why not grow carrots, or hemp or hazelnuts, which are much easier, quicker turnaround, and it’s not as big as an investment,” said Patton.
With Thanksgiving already arriving later this year, savvy shoppers will do best to get their trees early so that they can enjoy them longer, if at all.
“No doubt we will sell out,” he said. “One of the biggest wholesalers in all of Texas, guy named Bill Clem, he said his order was cut by almost 30% this year.”
Despite the appeal of cheap artificial trees, many still prefer natural trees. The lack of the real thing will put a hamper on the Christmas plans of many families this year.
