Here’s where to get real Christmas trees this year, and why they’re more expensive
Donna Patrick runs Sunset Hill Tree Farm in Alvarado with Duane Patrick. The two have been planting and selling trees out of their farm for the last 20 years, but this year Donna Patrick said they sold out of pick-and-cut Christmas trees the Friday after Thanksgiving and she expects the 80 pre-cut trees they have left to be gone by Dec. 5.
The Friday after Thanksgiving, Sunset Hill Tree Farm opened at 9 a.m. By 7:45, there was already a line of cars down the street waiting for the gates to open, and the stock went fast.
That experience is not exclusive to Sunset Hill Tree Farm. Tree growers and sellers all across the greater Fort Worth area have seen a wild dash from customers to find and buy the perfect tree. The American Christmas Tree Association even recommended in September that folks start looking early for a tree this year.
“We watched people get out of their cars and started running for the fields,” Donna Patrick said. “It looked like the Hunger Games. They would leave sentries by the trees to claim them while someone went to buy it, and within three hours almost everything in the field was gone.”
That’s because there’s a shortage of trees this year.
Supply chain woes and labor shortages have it more expensive and more difficult to find a Christmas tree this year, according to local growers and sellers. Some farms saw trees lost to the winter storm that hit Texas in February, and everybody has had difficulty getting pre-cut trees to sell this year.
The shortages on trees is impacting both artificial and real Christmas tree prices and availability. While a real tree won’t be impossible to find this year, the shortage could make it much more difficult.
Donna Patrick said Sunset Hill has seen around a 10% increase in the prices of trees this year because of the shortage, and that’s been passed on to customers. They have to cover their own costs, she said, but that hasn’t slowed business at all. Hallmark Christmas movies are probably most to thank for that, Donna Patrick said. They’ve highlighted the experience of going to a farm, seeing animals, drinking hot chocolate, breathing fresh air thick will the smell of Christmas and picking out the perfect tree.
“This is a business and we obviously have to make money, but I could almost do it without the money,” Donna Patrick said. “It is so cool to see the families and see them together and enjoy the environment, the air, the trees, everything. ... The time and energy we put into the trees and then watching them leave to go into somebody’s home is just a fantastic experience.”
Sunset Hill has a location in Alvarado, where they grow their own trees and have a full Christmas tree farm experience, as well as a lot in Cleburne where they sell pre-cut trees shipped in from other states. They sell trees from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday until they’re sold out.
Even if the pick-and-cut trees are all gone, Donna Patrick said families can still have the experience of a tree farm in Alvarado. And if the price increases are too much to afford one, she said she’ll work with you to find a tree that fits your budget.
The shortage of trees, and the excitement seen from customers shopping for them, isn’t unique to Sunset Hill.
Ron Dearman, owner of 4D Farm in Weatherford, grows his own Cypress trees and usually orders Fraser fir trees to sell alongside his own crop. Customers can pick a tree from his lot or choose one to cut down themselves or ask an employee to chop for them. This year, though, he wasn’t able to get his usual fir trees and the winter storm that hit Texas in February hurt his Cypress crop.
Dearman had ordered his fir trees early in the year but was told later he wouldn’t be able to get them. He doesn’t know why, but suspects it’s due to a combination of labor and shipping troubles. Ordering four or five different species of Christmas trees later in the year, along with shortages of trees nationwide, meant he had to pay more for them. His own crop was damaged by the winter storm that hit Texas in February, but Dearman said he’s still had a good crop of trees.
“I have a lot on the field,” Dearman said. “This shortage of trees grown at other farms just happened to hit on a year when I had a good crop.”
But that hasn’t impacted the tree sales, Dearman said. 4D Farm is open every Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving until he’s sold out. This year, he said, he expects all his trees to be gone by Dec. 5, his second weekend open. On Nov. 27 and Nov. 28, Dearman said, he sold more than 400 trees. He has around 265 left.
Dearman will be selling his trees from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 4 and, if he still has any left to sell, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 5.
Sam Smith, an employee at Fossil Creek Tree Farm, said she’s seen a lot of people coming through to buy trees early this year, too. Prices are a little higher, but they aren’t seeing any shortages in their stock.
“We secured the trees early in the year, so they’re here now and we’re selling a lot of them,” Smith said. “I know a lot of people have been having trouble getting some, especially since hotter weather in the Pacific Northwest killed some trees.”
Ken Knudson, owner of The Lazy K Christmas tree farm in Godly, said he only has about 40 trees this year and is open on weekends until he sells out. Customers can come pick out and cut their favorite Arizona Cypress to take home.
“We’re a quiet, low-key operation,” Knudson said. “We expect to sell 25 to 30 trees this year, but if we sell out of all 40 that would be great, too.”
While Knudson said his tree prices have gone up a little this year, he doesn’t think it will impact his sales.
Other local businesses are ramping up for big Christmas tree sales, but buyers should expect higher prices and shouldn’t be surprised if the perfect tree isn’t available as late this year as in years past.
Santa’s Christmas Trees in Colleyville and Keller are also selling trees. Other big box sellers, like Lowe’s, Home Depot and Walmart, have trees but could also see them run out earlier this year.
This story was originally published November 30, 2021 at 5:30 AM.