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Here’s the best time to buy a Christmas tree

By Stephanie Weaver
Published  December 3, 2024 3:42pm EST
Consumer
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The Brief

    • According to Square, the best time to buy a Christmas tree depends on your priorities, with Black Friday seeing the highest sales and prices averaging $112.
    • Purchasing on the first Saturday in December may offer a slight discount, with trees averaging $105.
    • The cheapest time to buy is just before Christmas, with prices dropping to around $85, a 32% savings from Black Friday.

One of the most cherished traditions of the holiday season is picking out the perfect Christmas tree to adorn your home. 

But, when is the best time to purchase a tree?

According to Square, it depends.

The business technology company analyzed data from thousands of Christmas tree sellers in 2023 to uncover the most popular time to buy, along with how tree prices fluctuate throughout the season.

Christmas trees are on display at a Christmas tree market in TriBeCa on November 27, 2020 in New York City. (Credit: Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Christmas tree prices

Last year, the largest surge in tree sales occurred on Black Friday, with the average tree costing around $112, according to Square. 

"We find the demand for real Christmas trees has grown substantially over the years," Tom Dull, the co-owner and general manager of Dull’s Tree Farm located in Thorntown, Indiana, told Square. "Our business opens the day after Thanksgiving on Black Friday, and we generally see a third of our sales for the season on that day, selling a tree off the farm almost every 17 seconds."

For those who waited and purchased on the first Saturday in December, the second most popular day for tree shopping, prices dropped to $105.

The closer to Christmas, the cheaper the tree

"The cheapest time to buy a Christmas tree is right before Christmas," said Square’s research lead Ara Kharazian, but added, "The best time is whichever day maximizes joy in your household." 

According to the findings, the closer it gets to Christmas, the further tree prices tend to fall as demand starts to taper off. 

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By the week before Christmas, over 90% of trees had been sold, and sellers were reducing prices to clear out inventory before the end of the season. In fact, consumers that put off their purchase until then saved 32% compared to Black Friday prices, with the average cost coming down to $85.

The National Christmas Tree Association said that there are approximately 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. every year. The top Christmas Tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington.

The Source

The Source

  • The information for this story was provided by the National Christmas Tree Association and Square, which sampled more than 3,000 Christmas tree sellers in the U.S. This story was reported from Los Angeles.

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