Although paying nearly $100 for a Christmas tree may feel steep, Manhattan couple Willy Burkhardt and Daniela Petrova say it’s worth it to get into the holiday spirit.
“It's not the same without it, it just really makes a difference,” Petrova said as she and her husband carried a 7-foot tree home in Lower Manhattan for $89. “Putting on the ornaments and the whole tradition of it, it’s just magical.”
Gothamist is tracking how much New Yorkers are paying for their Christmas trees this year, and we need your help. Already our readers have found 6- to 7-foot trees ranging from as low as $65 in Brooklyn or Staten Island to $220 in Manhattan. Please fill out this Google form and tell us how much you paid for your tree and help us track the best deal in the city.
New Yorkers are feeling the pressure of sky-high rents, rising food costs and tariffs on some imported goods. With that in mind, several tree sellers who spoke to Gothamist said they’re keeping prices the same as last year, even if they’re paying more for the trees and labor. Many sellers get their trees from New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania, and trees arriving from Canada are exempt from tariffs.
“We know the economy is bad, but also we know salary is the same,” said Ruibel Diyarza, who runs Diyarza Landscaping in Brooklyn. “We try to do the best thing for our customers.”
Diyarza sells trees ranging from 4 feet to 25 feet.
Larger chains like Whole Foods or Home Depot had some of the lowest prices Gothamist discovered. At a Home Depot on Staten Island, a 6- to 7-foot Fraser fir was selling recently for $64.
Local sellers say it’s important to check the quality by running your hands down a branch before buying a tree. If your hand is full of needles, the tree is drying out and “it's probably not the winner tree,” said Karl Wiesner, who sells trees at Wiesner Brothers Nursery on Staten Island. “If nothing falls off, it's pretty fresh.”
Wiesner said his trees are fresh cut from farms in New York and not tied up so you can see the tree’s shape.
“I need some good taper,” said Ariana Lamser, who was shopping for a tree for her parents outside Whole Foods in Manhattan where the trees were tied up. “Like a nice, even triangle. No gaps, no holes.”
Diyarza recommended getting a Fraser fir if you buy early in the season because they last longer. If a piney scent is what’s important to you, he suggests a Balsam.
Vincent DiVino, who operates Merry Time Christmas Trees on Staten Island, said he makes an effort to keep prices low on the Fraser, balsam, white pine and blue spruce trees he sells. After all, he said, trees aren’t the only things that cost extra during the holidays.
“They gotta get gifts, too, not break the bank buying trees,” he said.
“ I guarantee every tree,” he added. “And how many people guarantee the trees? I guarantee the trees. If the tree dies, show me a picture, you don't gotta bring it to me. I give you a new one for free.”
