Real Christmas trees are expected to sell out quickly this year.

Perhaps it’s a fresh, evergreen scent. Or maybe because it brings back pleasant childhood memories. Or it could be because it’s your annual family holiday tradition of choosing the perfect tree together.

But this year, despite concerns about cost cutting, many Christmas tree growers plan to sell even more trees than last year, and most have said they have no plans to increase wholesale prices.

Most of those who have done so say price increases will not be as large as in past years.

IN Blake’s Orchard and Apple Mill in Armada, where Christmas trees were on sale Friday — many of which shoppers could cut down for anywhere from $60 to more than $200 — sales were brisk, thanks to some snow, sunshine and even photos with Santa.

More: The historic Eloise Orphanage in Westland has undergone extensive Christmas displays.

“What could be more traditional than a real Christmas tree and the smell of a real Christmas tree in your home?” Shelby Ackerman, chief experience officer at Blake’s, told the Free Press. “People are looking for life experiences.”

But Christmas tree experts add that if you want a real tree rather than a plastic one, don’t wait too long to get one.

Trees take a decade or more to grow and only a few weeks to sell.

“For maximum selection and affordability, plan ahead and shop early,” says Marsha Gray, executive director of the Real Christmas Tree Board in Howell. “Some retailers may close early or have limited selection, while others may have exactly what you’re looking for.”

Of course, this is what you would expect from people who sell trees for a living.

You probably don’t want to be left with a tree as puny as in “A Charlie Brown Christmas“, an animated television special that first aired in 1965. Although the point of the 25-minute film was to not get too caught up in the holiday commercialism.

And in the end, Charlie Brown’s meager sapling was lovingly transformed into a magnificent tree.

However, keep in mind that the Real Christmas Tree Advertising Council, originally appointed in 2015 by the US Secretary of Agriculture and formerly known as the Christmas Tree Advertising Council, is a program designed to convince you to buy a fresh Christmas tree – or two or three. .

Among other things, the board offers virtual guide to different types of trees. It talks about the differences between Douglas fir, Fraser fir, noble and Scots pine, white pine and Virginia pine, as well as where they grow, needle length, branch structure and scent.

The council also summarizes the results of its annual survey of Christmas tree growers.

This year, 45 growers responded to the survey, representing between half and two-thirds of the actual U.S. Christmas tree market. Sixty percent of respondents said they do not expect wholesale prices to increase this year.

Last year, only 27% said the same.

And in a survey of Christmas tree shoppers, nearly a quarter—23%—said they planned to buy a real Christmas tree for the first time this year. They said they were looking forward to “a little extra peace of mind” and a “healthy dose of joy when they do.”

More than 80% of respondents said that the scent of a real Christmas tree makes their home feel festive, that a real Christmas tree enhances their holiday experience, and that the smell of a real Christmas tree relaxes them.

So, if you can deal with the stress of planting a tree early at a place like Blake’s, you’ll have more time to enjoy those special TV moments with it when loved ones gather and start chanting, “Hark! Herald Corners sing, “And snowflakes flicker on the street.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or [email protected].