Inflation Grinch Comes for Christmas Trees

Christmas tree prices have hit record highs this year in another financial blow to cash-crunched consumers this holiday season, according to industry experts. The average price of a Christmas tree has surged 10 percent from the past year, with shoppers likely to spend on average between $80 and $100, according to the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA). Joanne Bond, who works at the Maine Christmas Tree Association (MCTA), told The Epoch Times that an across-the-board increase in expenses forced her to raise prices by 10 percent at her Bond Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in West Newfield. “I’ve been bracing myself for complaints over the prices, but with everything costing more we really had no choice but to go ahead and charge a little more,” said Ms. Bond.  “All of my expenses have gone up this year, from supplies to the netting that the trees go in, to the coffee and cider I like to give out to customers.”...