Best Time to Buy a Real Christmas Tree Cheap
Waiting until the week before Christmas can lower tree costs if you check delivery dates and water daily.
The cheapest time to buy a real Christmas tree, meaning a fresh-cut evergreen for holiday display, is the week before Christmas. Square and the National Christmas Tree Association found Christmas Eve trees averaged $47, the seasonal low, in their 2018 holiday pricing report. Waiting can cut the average cost by about one-fifth compared with peak days.
The trade is less display time at home and closer attention to freshness.
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How much can late shopping save?
The same Square analysis found Black Friday averaged $77 and Cyber Monday reached $81, the season high, in its holiday price breakdown. It found buyers who waited until the week before Christmas paid about 22% less than peak, according to Square. That gap matters for tight holiday budgets.
University of Georgia horticulturists note prices stay good the week before Christmas when the tree stays watered.
When does freshness favor earlier buying?
Farmers' Almanac recommends buying from late November to mid-December right after Thanksgiving. It names cut-your-own local farms as the freshest source. Retail lots vary more by delivery date than by calendar date.
The National Christmas Tree Association advises lot shoppers to ask when shipments arrived and buy soon after arrival, since recent deliveries stay fresher, in its tree selection guidance.
Can you buy early and still save?
University of Georgia horticulturists advise buying at the beginning of the shopping season for a strong price-quality mix. That approach gives more display days and wider choice before late-season lots thin out. Care matters more than timing once the tree is home.
Millersville biology professor Chris Hardy, citing the National Christmas Tree Association, says to store an early-bought tree outdoors in a bucket of plain water and skip sugar, bleach, or aspirin additives.
What should you ask on the lot?
Ask when the current stock arrived and pick from the newest delivery. The National Christmas Tree Association ties recent arrival to better freshness for retail-lot trees. Bring a watering plan for a late purchase, since a tree bought days before Christmas still needs steady water through the holiday.
- Ask the lot attendant for the latest delivery date
- Choose from that delivery group first
- Keep the stand filled with plain water daily
- Consider a cut-your-own farm for maximum freshness, per Farmers' Almanac