Author: Ivo Knorr
December 18, 2020

Just because we cannot have Christmas with our friends and family like we are used to this year, we can still have a little Christmas in our homes. This year we are decorating our houses earlier than ever. The industry for Christmas decorations might have their best year yet. Maybe the most important Christmas decoration is the famous Christmas tree. As Christmas is coming closer and closer, you can see more trees popping up everywhere. 

The tradition of having a Christmas tree in your house is already very old. Nobody knows for sure where the tradition came from. It is rumored that it became popular in England first, back in the 19th century. At first people placed smaller trees on tables, but as soon as import was more accessible, bigger trees started being brought in from Norway and other countries. The reason that the fir tree is most commonly used is of course because it is beautiful all year round, even in the cold freezing winter.

Today, a Christmas tree has become essential for many families.They simply can't imagine a Christmas without a Christmas tree. Especially now, after a long and difficult year, we long for the cozy Christmas times. Because of this it’s no surprise that the market for Christmas decorations has seen a great year once again. The Christmas tree sale has also started earlier than ever. Chances are that you yourself have also seen Christmas trees popping up earlier everywhere. Different garden centers and online retailers in the Netherlands reported at the start of november that they already had double or even 2.5x the sales of Christmas trees compared to previous years. It is expected that this year, more than 3 Million trees will be sold throughout the Christmas season. It looks like the market for Christmas trees is one of the few markets that actually benefits from the consequences of the coronavirus.

All this selling of Christmas trees is also leading to shortages in other countries. In the U.S.A. for example, some sellers have reported to have already been completely sold out in the first weeks of december. Since they cannot grow a tree overnight, they are already done for the year. Luckily, there have not been any reports of shortages in The Netherlands. Although they do seem to be a little bit more expensive this year because of the increased demand.  So if you still have to get a Christmas tree in these last few days before Christmas, do not worry. It might only be another week until Christmas, but who says you already have to take down your tree after Christmas? Just leave it up for a few more weeks! (or months)

Everyone here at Asset | Economics wishes you a merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year!

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