By Marcie Jessee
Christmas trees have become a staple of holiday celebrations. However, for many people, the green d?cor doesn”t come without cost.
Courtney Wiese is from Hawaii, where residents get their festive foliage in giant refrigerated shipping containers.
“One year my family paid about $130 for the tree including the deposit to ensure we would get one,” the senior history major said. “It was a Noble Fir that was 7 to 8 feet and pretty wide.”
Every year Wiese”s mom contacts a tree company with a pre-order, which ensures the lot will hold a good tree for them, because they often run out.
Wiese said a normal price for a 5 to 6 foot tree is around $80 or $90 dollars. The Wiese family is willing to pay that much every year because Christmas is a special occasion, and a time of gathering for the whole family. Wiese said her mom also loves the smell of pine in the house.
“People toward the beach tend to buy fake trees because it is so hot,” Wiese said. “But where I live in the hills more people buy real trees.”
This year Wiese will celebrate Christmas in Provo, so she and her husband found a 5-foot tree here for only $15.
Tree costs in Provo lots usually range from $15 to $30 depending on tree type and height.
Nicole Watts, a junior majoring in elementary education, worked at a greenhouse during the holidays selling Christmas trees.
Because the trees were locally grown in Orem, there were no shipping costs and sold at lower prices.
Washington, unlike Hawaii, boasts fairly low Christmas tree prices thanks to an abundance of tree farms.
Josh Dalton, a junior majoring in Japanese from Vancouver, Wash., lives close to many tree farms.
“There”s so many trees up there, you could go in your own backyard and cut a tree,” Dalton said.
In Washington, shopping early can ensure shoppers of a good price of $10 a tree.
“It”s a little more expensive when they”re pre-cut, they”re around $15,” Dalton said. “You save five bucks to cut your own.”
Dalton worked at a tree farm one holiday season and said prices varied depending on the type of tree. Douglas Fir is the most common to his area, while a Noble Fir would cost a bit more.
Adam Richins, a junior biology major from the rural area of Teton Valley, Idaho, said a lot of people in his hometown save some money by purchasing a tree-cutting permit for $5, so they can head to the mountains and cut their own.
