A nostalgic scent worth the price, real Christmas trees in demand despite higher cost

A holiday tradition is helping drive the Texas economy. According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, every year more than four million real Christmas trees are sold in Texas. But they're also getting more expensive.

The American Christmas Tree Association reports that inflation and drought are pushing up prices for consumers. Still, some families prefer to shell out the extra green in order to carry on holiday traditions.

Doug Brown and his family have always preferred a real Christmas tree.

“It is amazing. I mean, just the smell takes you back to this couple of weeks around Christmas,” Brown said.

For about five years, Brown has returned to North Pole Farms. The tree lot is owned and operated by Dallas native, Cassandra Cass and her husband.

“It’s something that we really pride ourselves in. We get our trees within a week of being cut. We cut them fresh here at the lot,” Cass said.

For the last 14 years, Cass has sourced large trees from across state lines.

“We work with two small family farms,” Cass said. “One is in Washington State and one in North Carolina. And they're both environmentally conscious farms. We work with small family farms because they can really take care of their quality.”

The National Christmas Tree Association lists Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington among the top Christmas tree-producing states.

Brown said he can count on North Pole Farms for the perfect Christmas tree.

“I’m looking for an 8 or 9-foot tree that has a full body,” Brown said. “We've got a lot of ornaments.”

Andrew Firman, his wife Anne Firman, and their two young daughters were excited to choose their fresh-cut tree in North Dallas.

“We're decorating the house right now and it's just very exciting for them,” Anne said.

The Firman’s opted for a 6-foot tree.

“We got a noble fir from the base of Mount Rainier, is what we were told,” Andrew said. “It passed the very literal sniff test.”

The nostalgic scent continues to be in demand, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. According to a 2022 economic study by the group, Christmas trees grown in Texas had a direct economic impact of $397 million, employing 3,896 people with a payroll of more than $97 million. A major push in the economy despite the steady increase in cost for consumers.

“The trees have gone up a little bit. But, you know, paced with normal inflation,” Cass said. “But it's the shipping that really the last few years has been the huge factor in the cost increase.”

This year, her customers can expect to pay anywhere from $15 to $40 more depending on the tree. However, the Firman’s and Brown said the hike in prices is expected and won’t stop them from buying.

“They're expensive, but it's worth it to us, you know, because we're going to have it in our house all the way through the first couple of weeks of January,” Brown said. “You can't expect for it to be inexpensive for somebody to do that for you and make it so easy and convenient.”

“There's something about the smell that gets you in the holiday season that you can't really duplicate," Andrew said. "It would have to increase quite a bit for us to consider getting a fake Christmas tree."

It’s a smell, Brown said, that’s worth the price.

“We have never gone to the, you know, the fake tree just because the smell makes a difference in the house every day.”

To find a Christmas tree farm in the area, click here.