MACON, Ga. — It's the week of Thanksgiving, but people are already starting to decorate for Christmas. However, the prices could make a bigger hole in your wallet than normal.
Many people start their Christmas shopping before, during and after Thanksgiving. At the Macon State Farmers Market, though, they're starting with one of the most expensive purchases: the Christmas tree.
When it comes to the prices this year, they seem to be at a slow but steady increase.
On top of the gifts you still might need to buy, fresh Christmas trees are expected to cost more than $400 this year depending on which sized tree you buy.
That's according to Greg Slaughter with Slaughter's Tree Farm, who's been in business for 57 years in Macon.
Slaughter says he tries to keep it consistent with the pricing, starting with the average household tree costing around $90 to $100. But this year, he had to up prices a bit.
"Some of the trees are up $5 a tree," Slaughter said. "Starting at tabletop trees for senior citizens and small places that people put trees in are $25 bucks and we go up to the big stuff, the 14-foot to 15-foot trees that run $400 bucks."
Considering the increase in fertilizers and chemicals to keep the trees alive, Slaughter says inflation hits farmers just as hard as any other business. Basically, they're back to pandemic prices.
"The labor situation is tough for everybody right now," Slaughter said. "It's costing a lot with labor, but freight's pretty steady where it was last year."
Slaughter also talked about why the prices have to go up to this year.
"Things are pretty tough right now with this inflation that everybody has to deal with, and it hits everybody it hits every business around — not just select ones," Slaughter said. "It hits the farmers too, and this is a farming type of operation. It hits the farmers just as hard at it does anybody else."
But Patrick Johnson, a father of two from Juliette, says he's used to the increase in tree prices. He tries to get a fresh tree every year but has an artificial one as a backup.
"The real tree smells good, looks good, and my kids have a good time decorating it," Johnson said. "Just like everything else, the prices go up on Christmas trees every year."
Slaughter says they'll be at the Macon State Farmers Market until they're all sold out.
"We're out here for the people who want the live tree experience and the smell and just the experience of coming out here and getting it," Slaughter said.
The National Real Christmas Tree Board said prices are rising, but not as fast as last year. They say about half their growers are raising prices by less than 5% but more than a quarter won't raise prices at all.