Amanda Forrester / news@whmi.com


If you haven’t bought your Christmas tree yet, there’s still time, but you may have to drive a little further to get one.

Christmas tree farms around Michigan have started to close for the season, so getting one now may take a little longer than earlier in the month.

Amy Start, Executive Director of the Michigan Christmas Tree Association, said there are a couple reasons for the early closures. During Covid, more people went to Christmas tree farms because it was a safe way to be outside and maintain social distance mandates. During the surge in business, some farms used trees that typically would be sold now, leading to them having less trees available.

The timing of Thanksgiving also played a factor. Some farms started selling trees the weekend before Thanksgiving, which meant they opened earlier than other years.

Weather hasn’t affected the crop too much, Start said. Christmas trees are very hardy, even as seedlings, so whether the state sees a lot of precipitation or there is a drought, Christmas trees can adapt and continue to grow. Michigan is the third largest producer of Christmas trees in the state, with Oregon and North Carolina being the only states that grow more.

Start said many farms have kept prices the same or close to what they were last year, though with inflation, some were forced to raise prices by a few dollars.

Christmas tree farms don’t just have trees, however. Many of them also sell a lot of other items, such as wreaths, other greenery and crafts. Santa also often makes visits to farms around the state.

For a list of Christmas tree farms, visit the provided link.