Angela in America: $300 for a Christmas Tree? How to Avoid the Holiday Rip-Off

The Holiday Tree Sticker Shock

If there’s one way to suck the wind right out of Santa’s sleigh, it’s having to buy a Christmas tree in New York City.

The Hamptons is a close second.

It really is a shame that during the holiday season we even have to think about how to outsmart or out-negotiate a tree seller who’s just trying to make a buck and go back upstate or to Mexico and be done with us. If only it was a buck. Or a buck fifty versus close to $300 for a tree.

That’s what I was quoted this week on the Upper East Side. Tired of it. Tree buying has become akin to buying cold cuts at the deli counter. “How much do you want? A half-pound or a full pound?” And does it ever go on sale?

“Our trees are $30–$40 a square foot,” said the guy in the little heated hut on First Avenue. “Wow,” I exclaimed, knowing that a tree farm on the North Fork of Long Island sells them for about $15–$16 a square foot. The trees were beautiful, I have to admit, and Fraser firs — my favorite. But c’mon. A nice, full, tall tree at those prices just seems ridiculous. Am I too Grinchy? Begrudging a hardworking tree farm upstate for doing their thing? I think not.

The Overblown Holiday Squeeze

I’m tired of this overblown holiday squeeze. It’s not just the tree prices (which I’ll get back to), it’s the time of year when good will turns into highway robbery. Everyone has something to sell you in the name of “holiday spirit.” The assault of the robocalls, the spam texts asking for money, the unheard-of charity cases in the form of bizarre emails that suddenly flood your inbox. We all want to be givers. But no one wants to be taken advantage of.

Every year it’s the same thing when I go to get “the tree.” They’ve got you. You want a nice tree, the kids are screaming, “When can we decorate it?” You’re under the gun. Who’s driving out to a tree farm to cut their own? (Believe me, I’ve considered it. Handy with a handsaw.) Most city folk like the convenience of walking across the street, picking out a tree, and having it delivered. It’s not that different in the suburbs. We want what we want — even for a pretty penny.

But not this year, especially when prices for everything seem to be off the charts (despite what any politician says). And pennies are being eliminated. Pretty or not.

Even the “Cheap” Options Aren’t Cheap

Let’s face it: people everywhere — city folk, country folk — are tired of the big rip-off. Even the small go-to bodegas or the fly-by-night tree-stand pop-ups in Harlem or off the LIE that used to offer reasonable options have jacked up their prices.

What to do? Here are my tree tactics — tried and tested — over several decades of holiday hell.

1. The Haggle

It doesn’t hurt to try to get them down in price. But you have to set and practice your pitch. Over the years I’ve used everything from “I’m a single, divorced mother with a young child” (no shame!) to “I just finished my sixth chemo and I have to have radiation.” (Use the cancer card — it’s powerful.) I know, that’s extreme, but I wasn’t lying at the time.

I usually start with, “I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 30 years,” which translates to “don’t try to rip me off, buddy.” It doesn’t always work, but it’s worth a try. “We had a death in the family,” “Don’t be fooled by the BMW,” and “You don’t have to deliver it — I’ll carry the tree home myself” are also worth a shot.

2. Show Them the Money

Pulling out a $100 bill and saying, “Can you take this for that tree — it’s all I’ve got,” often improves your odds. If the response is, “You can have that Charlie Brown Christmas tree with the three branches in the corner,” it’s time to move on.

3. Go Elsewhere

If you get the cold shoulder, don’t despair. There are options: Costco, Whole Foods, Lowe’s. That’s right — the next time you go to buy a 2×4, a side of beef, or festive empanadas for your holiday party, consider getting a tree at one of these giant retailers.

Trees at Whole Foods used to be around $60. This year they are $90 — very tall Fraser firs. One year I did this, the tree was great. Another year, it didn’t last as long. Of course, buying at Whole Foods in the city means getting it to your apartment, another cash cab drop. That’s why I say “Never give up the stroller,” especially if you are a do-it-yourselfer like I am. (Or a masochist. Take your pick.)

This year I feel I scored at Lowe’s. I swung by on the suggestion of my brother, and lo and behold, Lowe’s had a pile of beautiful, fresh Fraser firs. I was dumbfounded. Of course I picked the heaviest one. A stranger was kind enough to offer to get a clerk to help me. Eighty bucks for a 7- to 8-foot Fraser fir that smelled so good, I was tempted to keep it in the car as an air freshener.

4. Go Fake

I don’t love this option, because I like a fresh, real Christmas tree. But many people swear by the tree-in-a-box option. The only problem this year is that tariffs have made fake trees — mostly imported from China — a lot pricier.

If the fake tree solves your tree woes and you’re comfortable with the no-fuss, no-smell tree, go for it. But know that if you opt for a multicolored disco tree, odds are great we won’t become — or stay — friends.

5. Wait. Wait. Wait.

Want a great tree at a great price? Take your chances and wait till the week of Christmas. If anything is left, suddenly it’s up for grabs at a good price (hmmm). I’ve done this a few times and it is satisfying, to a degree, to score a tree for 60 bucks vs. 260. Then again, time is of the essence — less money, fewer days to enjoy it. But still in time for the holiday.

One year in East Hampton, I waited so long to get a tree that it was the day before Christmas Eve. A light snow had just begun to fall, and as I was driving near Spring Close Farm, wondering where I was going to get my tree, there it was — my Christmas tree, lying in a pile with a few other trees and several wreaths. The sign said: “FREE, Please Take Them. Merry Xmas.”

I felt overwhelmed and almost embarrassed (almost) for all the times I’ve complained about an expensive tree. I put the tree in the back of my car and grabbed three wreaths — one for myself and two for my sister, whose house I was driving to for the holiday.

A Little Holiday Karma Goes a Long Way

It was a good lesson. Every now and then, a random act of kindness or good fortune will hit you this holiday to offset the rip-off.

Sometimes you will be the one to pass it forward. Like the other day, when a friend helping me get my big heavy tree out of the car left my Trader Joe’s wreath on a piece of scaffolding outside my apartment. Realizing this hours later, I was annoyed — and then realized that was my holiday donation to a stranger. Someone in need of a nicely decorated wreath who happened upon it for the taking. Good for them.

After all, tree or no tree, wreath or no wreath, if we have our health and each other, it is a wonderful life.

One of my favorite trees, the Frasier Fir. Decorated with shorts from Montauk. Photo by Angela LaGreca

Angela LaGreca

Editor, Co-Founder/Publisher

Angela LaGreca, Editor-in-chief and co-Founder/Publisher of Spark Hamptons, is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, producer, writer and comedian/host. Her TV credits include NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “The View,” and, most recently, the primetime cable news program “Cuomo” on NewsNation. On the East End, she was the Creative Director at LTV, VP Features/Events/Photo Editor at Dan’s Papers, and has performed at Guild Hall, Bay Street Theater and the WHBPAC. Her publishing career began at Modern Photography, where she was managing editor. LaGreca lives in Manhattan and East Hampton and can be reached at angelatvmedia@gmail.com and angela@sparkhamptons.com .