Current:Home > FinanceWhy Christmas trees may be harder to find this year (and what you can do about it)-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Why Christmas trees may be harder to find this year (and what you can do about it)
View Date:2024-12-23 22:41:55
We don't want to be Grinches, but we do want to give you a heads-up about some important holiday news: Christmas trees may be harder to find than usual.
Jami Warner, the executive director of the American Christmas Tree Association, tells NPR that both environmental and economic factors are to blame.
Extreme weather events like wildfires, droughts and floods have made this an especially challenging season for growers. Such events are driven by climate change and could become more common as the Earth warms.
And even artificial trees are feeling the burn, thanks to ongoing global supply chain issues.
"The great majority of our artificial Christmas trees are manufactured in China, and Christmas trees and pretty much every other consumer good is languishing either out at sea or hasn't shipped yet," Warner explains.
Experts expect the bottleneck at U.S. ports is to get even worse during the holiday season, exacerbated by Americans' online shopping.
All of this means that you can expect to pay at least 20% more for your Tannenbaum, whether real or artificial.
It's not all bad news
But don't despair. It's still worth holding out hope for a Christmas miracle.
Warner says there are bound to be bargains and online sales out there. And she's officially giving you permission to act fast and claim your tree early.
"I think it's very important for consumers to, if they see something they like, to buy it right away," she advises.
And it doesn't have to be the tree of your dreams, she adds. After all, there are many other sources of Yuletide joy — especially this season, with vaccinations making it safer for people to travel and gather.
"This year, I think people will be able to celebrate Christmas with their families again and with their friends, and no one is going to notice if you don't have that very, very perfect Christmas tree," Warner says. "Really, there are no such thing as bad Christmas trees — they're all beautiful."
The audio version of this story was produced by Taylor Haney and edited by Kelley Dickens.
This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.
veryGood! (4123)
Related
- Patrick Mahomes Breaks Silence on Frustrating Robbery Amid Ongoing Investigation
- China owns 380,000 acres of land in the U.S. Here's where
- In Brazil, the World’s Largest Tropical Wetland Has Been Overwhelmed With Unprecedented Fires and Clouds of Propaganda
- Amid the Devastation of Hurricane Ian, a New Study Charts Alarming Flood Risks for U.S. Hospitals
- Bev Priestman fired as Canada women’s soccer coach after review of Olympic drone scandal
- In Texas, a New Study Will Determine Where Extreme Weather Hazards and Environmental Justice Collide
- Here's How Margot Robbie Really Achieves Her Barbie Blonde Hair
- 'It's gonna be a hot labor summer' — unionized workers show up for striking writers
- Army veteran reunites with his K9 companion, who served with him in Afghanistan
- Inside Clean Energy: Think Solar Panels Don’t Work in Snow? New Research Says Otherwise
Ranking
- Brands Our Editors Are Thankful For in 2024
- Has inflation changed how you shop and spend? We want to hear from you
- Why building public transit in the US costs so much
- Wayfair’s 60% Off Back-to-School Sale: Best Deals on College Living Essentials from Bedding to Storage
- NFL playoff picture Week 10: Lions stay out in front of loaded NFC field
- Flash Deal: Save 66% on an HP Laptop and Get 1 Year of Microsoft Office and Wireless Mouse for Free
- Drifting Toward Disaster: Breaking the Brazos
- The migrant match game
Recommendation
-
Elon Musk responds after Chloe Fineman alleges he made her 'burst into tears' on 'SNL'
-
Not coming to a screen near you — viewers will soon feel effects of the writers strike
-
Congress Urges EPA to Maintain Clean-Air Regulations on Chemical Recycling of Plastics
-
China owns 380,000 acres of land in the U.S. Here's where
-
Indiana man is found guilty of murder in the 2017 killings of 2 teenage girls
-
Over $200 billion in pandemic business loans appear to be fraudulent, a watchdog says
-
Inside Clean Energy: In a World Starved for Lithium, Researchers Develop a Method to Get It from Water
-
Inside Clean Energy: The US’s New Record in Renewables, Explained in Three Charts