Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania – Christmas at auction began this week in agricultural Pennsylvania, and there was no shortage of bidders.
About 50,000 Christmas trees and enough wreaths, crafts and other seasonal items to fill an airplane hangar were bought and sold by lot and on consignment at the annual two-day event held at the Buffalo Valley Produce Auction in Mifflinburg.
Buyers from all over the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic were there to supply garden and plot stores and other retail outlets for the incoming rush of customers eager to bring home a tree — often a Fraser spruce — or to deck the halls with miles of greenery.
The gathered buyers were outside in the cold temperatures to hear the auctioneers sell ornamental boxes, bunches of winter berries, cotton branches, icicle lights, grave blankets, red bows and tree stands. It was pretty much everything you needed for Christmas except food and gifts.
Americans’ Christmas tree buying habits have evolved for many years. Homes these days are less likely to have a tree at all than in years past, and those who do have trees are more likely to choose an artificial tree over the natural kind, said Marsha Gray of the Howell, Michigan-based Real Christmas Tree Board, a national trade group for Christmas tree growers.
Corey Stevens returned to the auction for a second year after his customers raved about the holiday decor he purchased there last year for AA Co. Farm, Lawn & Garden, whose store is a three-hour drive away in Pasadena, Maryland. He spent nearly $5,000 on Thursday.
“It’s unbelievable, it’s changed our whole world,” Stevens said. “If you know what you’re looking for, it’s very hard to beat quality.”
Ryan Marshall spent about $8,000 on various decorations to resell at Ward Berry Farm in Sharon, Massachusetts. Among his purchases were three wreaths at $29 each, and he was expecting to double his money.
“The quality is good, and it’s a place you can pick your own,” he said.
Gray said her group’s research shows that the main reason people choose a real tree over an artificial one “is the smell. They want the fresh scent of a real Christmas tree in their home.” She said the presence of children in the home was also linked to picking a tree grown on the farm.
A Real Christmas Tree Board survey conducted in August found that 84% of growers did not expect wholesale prices to rise this season.
Neil Courtney, director of Buffalo Valley Auctions, said prices for farm-grown trees appear to have stabilized, and he sees hope that the trend toward artificial trees can be reversed.
“Long story short – we’ll be back at the top of the game soon,” Courtney said. “A live tree puts a real Christmas in your home.”
A survey by a trade group, the National Christmas Tree Association, found that more than 21 million farm-grown Christmas trees were sold in 2023, with an average price of $75. About a quarter were purchased from a “pick and cut” farm, one in five from a chain store, and most of the rest from nurseries, retail stores, non-profit and online sales.