There’s nothing that inspires the ol’ holiday cheer more than Christmas tree inflation.
According to survey data from the National Christmas Tree Association (which, by the way, exists), the price of the average Christmas tree has spiked 125% over the past 3 years.
As recently as 2013, a tree would only set you back about $35; in 2016, they were up to $75 a pop. This season, it’s purported to be up to $80 — a record high.
We have a familiar culprit to thank:
The Great Recession of ‘07. Turns out, Christmas trees take about a decade to grow to full size — and 10 years ago, growers, in hard times, weren’t able to plant as many of them. As a result, there’s been a shortage these past few years, and we’re paying the price for it as consumers. So, give thanks to Dick Fuld.
Of course, no great Christmas tree dataset comes without its caveats: the NCTA failed to monitor the size of their trees in the survey — so it’s possible people are just buying bigger ones.