Christmas trees... fake vs. real?

[Industrial Toys]

Just have a little plastic one sitting in the corner on a table for years now. I put lights on a conifer outside the house. Seems Christmas and everything else just flies by and one hardly feels like spending too much effort.

 

[ultrarunner]

Had to run to the office store today for some office supplies this week, and I actually stopped by to check out pricing on Christmas trees just out of curiosity and this thread, location in a semi rural town about 15 minutes west outside of Winston Salem NC. All the trees in the picture were $75-$80, about 6.5' tall to highest point on the tree.

View attachment 678931

Point being, honestly being you're in San Francisco, $132 actually doesn't sound bad, but I'd be curious how low they go outside of city limits. The ones in my picture were most likely driven down by the tree farms up around Ashe County, about 90 minutes north west of the location in the picture (have no clue what kind of mark up delivering trees run in "Christmas tree lots" around the US, but assuming a 1-2 day drive time would cost more per overhead costs vs a sub two hour drive time).

When you think about it, online shopping gets thrown out the window for Christmas trees during Christmas month, and generally you're picking up LOL

Its currently $2400 freight to bring down a trailer the 600 miles from Salem Oregon to the SF Bay Area... not SF proper.

 

[fried1765]

Its currently $2400 freight to bring down a trailer the 600 miles from Salem Oregon to the SF Bay Area... not SF proper.

How many trees can you get in a load?

 

[Sigarms]

Its currently $2400 freight to bring down a trailer the 600 miles from Salem Oregon to the SF Bay Area... not SF proper.

When you say "trailer", are we talking a full tractor trailor load? I have to ask, what do you mean my "not SF proper"? Only thing I'm used to pricing out for shipping is pallets and weights on the pallet and the common carrier (Estes is a LOT cheaper than Old Dominion). Running 600 miles at 10 MPG on the vehicle, even at $30 and hour drive time, your looking at no more than $800 with hotel for overnight stay and food round trip with an additional $350 for no more than fuel.

Keep in mind, the above line of thinking I'm putting myself in the tree farmers shoes, and knowing that Oregon is a lot like NC when it comes to the Christmas tree market, my line of thinking is the tree farmers are running their own trucks or subbing at a good rate for the season to get their trees in the "hot markets".

That said, I know nothing about the Christmas tree market other than I wouldn't pay $80 for a live tree when I have to deal with the headache of getting into my own home, set it up, and then discard it after one months use.

However, a quick look up online shows that you can get between 400-500 6' Christmas trees on a tactor trailor load (53' bed and I'm assuming the information is correct which it may not be because I don't know). At $120 a tree retail, minimum of 400 trees, thats $48,000. You know what, I'm doing this on the fly with a calculator in front of me, heck, ship the trees common carrier for $2,400 and don't worry about cutting costs:laughing: That said, perhaps lots in SF charge 1K a day for the area to put the trees up for sale. No clue on my end.

 

[MossRoad]

One person's headache is another person's enjoyable experience. I've been doing it for 59 years and smiling every time.

 

[Oaktree]

We usually found a tree the Sunday before Christmas, and took it out after New Year's day.

In an earlier post you'd mentioned that you take your tree down the day after. Got me to wondering...how many find looking at a lit/decorated tree to be "not the same" once Christmas has passed? My parents always left it up until New Years, but if it was up to me I'd do the same as you.

 

[Industrial Toys]

If I put up my Chrstmas stuff the day after Halloween, I'd probably be sick of looking at it too.

Generally a week or so into the new year.

Growing up, it was always pointed out when someone had their Christmas lights still out in the summer.

 

[Wagtail]

In an earlier post you'd mentioned that you take your tree down the day after. Got me to wondering...how many find looking at a lit/decorated tree to be "not the same" once Christmas has passed? My parents always left it up until New Years, but if it was up to me I'd do the same as you.

It's different for me... as my birthday is the 31st, the day after Christmas the tree officially became the "Birthday Bush"!

Presents for me and birthday cards on the tree.

 

[MossRoad]

In an earlier post you'd mentioned that you take your tree down the day after. Got me to wondering...how many find looking at a lit/decorated tree to be "not the same" once Christmas has passed? My parents always left it up until New Years, but if it was up to me I'd do the same as you.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we leave ours up until the twelfth day of Christmas, which is the Epiphany, January 6. In total, our tree us usually up for about 4 weeks. We don't get tired of it at all.

For those that have never heard of Epiphany, read here:
Epiphany (holiday) - Wikipedia

We find it a fine tradition.

We all put the tree up, and we all take the tree down (if we're all home, then it's just me and the wife taking it down).

There's great joy in bringing up the Christmas storage tubs, putting up the decorations, trimming the tree, and all that goes with it. Friends, family, feasting, taking stock, giving to others, etc... as we touch the ornaments, we remember where we got them, who might have given them to us, which child made them. Once the tree is trimmed, it's enjoyable to smell the pine scent, sit in the living room with just the glow of the tree lights, watching a movie at night. Watching the cats play under the tree. Watching the cat knock over the tree once in a while. :laughing:

When it's all over on January 6th, we take it all down, gently pack away the ornaments and lights, and I drag the tree out the front door and take it out back, where I set it up at the edge of the woods for birds to sit in for the rest of the winter.

If you make it a chore and hassle, it's gonna be a chore and hassle.

 

[stingray1]

Love the smell of real,but I’ve used fake for the last 10 years.