Christmas tree costs might exceed $100

Montana – The average cost of a Christmas tree increased by 10% this year, according to the American Christmas Tree Association, to fall between $80 and $100.

Vendors in Montana are noticing the price increase, and Jon Switzer, owner of Roots Garden, said it has been more of a problem in recent years.

“Trying to find Christmas trees has been, over the last couple of years, an incredible challenge because of supply and demand,” Switzer said. “There’s a lot of challenges in our economy that Americans are feeling everywhere.”

Three years ago, Switzer founded Roots Garden on the same premises as the former Billings Nursery, although he initially had no intention of selling Christmas trees.

“We just kind of had the idea that we’d close up shop at the end of the fall,” Switzer said. “But we got a lot of phone calls that first year from people that were asking if we’d be continuing it.”

Switzer realized that families still yearned to purchase their trees in a familiar location and that they had to make it happen. The Billings Nursery was a popular destination for families to purchase their trees.

“Historically, this place, this facility has been kind of iconic for buying trees,” Switzer said. “It was just kind of a fun community thing that contributed to our experience here.”

However, Switzer claimed that difficult circumstances arose as soon as he decided to keep up the yearly auction.

Prices have increased because to supply and demand concerns and shipping costs, but thankfully Switzer reported that they have found innovative solutions to address the problems.

“I’m proud to say that we didn’t raise any prices this year,” Switzer said. “We’ve been able to mitigate some of the cost and expenses from that price point. We know that times are harder. I’m really grateful that here at Roots we’ve been able to change the conversation from price to value.”

The fact that their company offers alternatives to only trees contributes to their wealth.

Despite this, Switzer stated that their main concern is the experience’s worth because his company is carrying on a long-standing custom.

“We just wanted to extend that heritage and continue that tradition for people and their families,” Switzer said. “It’s pretty exciting to be able to offer them and help people have a great Christmas experience at Roots.”