Gothamist: The Most Expensive Christmas Tree Ever

Matthew

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 20:18:01 -0500

$30 for a 9.5 ft tree at Home Depot in BedSty

jeep

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 19:29:24 -0500

I bought a tree from the same place (Greenwich & Chambers) last year and this. I got exactly the same sales patter about "sticker shock" etc. I'm pretty sure that an almost identical tree last year was $60, and this year was $80 -- not a bad increase, particularly since it seemed exhorbitant last year. But what ya gonna do? It's the only place close.

Rue Mc Clanahan's Thong

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 17:44:33 -0500

I too bought a tree for $ 40 from the surly misogynistic tree guy who's on Lafayette below Spring. I don't give into newly made-up fancy real estate terms for my neighborhood so I'll just say that rued guy, his trees & his attitude are flanking "Lieutenant Petrosino Square." (Just ignore his disparaging comments about his female tree selling partner.) Malatron, you just helped carry it. Thanks. :-)

April

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 17:07:49 -0500

I got three prelit tinsel trees on eBay for a total of $250 - one 6 foot gold tree, one 4 foot pink tree and one 7 foor silver tree. They are hideous and tacky and I love them -- the lights are amazing and I don't have to worry about killing a real tree next year. Now I have a tinsel forest!! I grew up on real trees and I am over it ... fake for me ....

NV

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 16:52:18 -0500

For the last few years those guys on Greenwich have gotten us to buy substandard trees for outrageous prices because they're the closest to our house. Last year was the worst, $175 after lots of attitude. This year we planned ahead and got a beautiful (and extremely fresh) 7 1/2 ft. Frasier Fir for $124, Fed Ex delivery included, from Weir Farms (www.weirtreefarms.com) in New Hampshire.

Anon

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 16:49:31 -0500

My husband and I bought our tree from the same spot we've been buying it for years, corner of 49th and 9th Ave. $25 every year. This year we got a gorgeous 7 ft tree that is full and round and looks just like the picture above! My family always has contests every year to see who can get the best tree for the least amount of money... and we've won the last three years! Thanks Hells Kitchen Christmas tree guy!

malatron

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 16:43:32 -0500

A beautiful six footer at Kenmare Sq. for 40$, though the seller quoted 60. I said how about 40, and he said, ok.

Krista

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 16:21:13 -0500

The giant Western Beef on the Ridgewood/Williamsburg border has full sized (6'+) trees for like $20, but it's kind of a pain to get to without a car.

adelle

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 16:11:44 -0500

home depot, all the way

notnextyear

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:41:51 -0500

i spent $200 on a tree and I don't know why. Next year I plan on making an artistic 'tree' out of all the fancy lights I own, spend the $200 on a nice bottle of Argentinian red, set the blinking light speed on 'siezure' and invite over some friends... This way I get smashed and also help out the environment - poor trees.

Krissa

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:34:40 -0500

Wow, you know, sometimes I toy with the idea of living in Manhattan. And then I read this, and I'm really glad I live in Astoria and bought a beautiful, full six-foot tree for 35 bucks.

Helcat

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:33:31 -0500

Wowza. I got an 8 foot balsam pine for $35 (with stand!) at the corner of 57th and 9th. You got robbed!

Kevin Walsh

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:33:18 -0500

I wish I still had the silver tree with the red, green, yellow and blue color wheel I had when I was a kid. I wonder if I could ebay that kind of thing. www.forgotten-ny.com

Jen W

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:09:13 -0500

Hey Jules, was it the bodega on 7th Ave./7th St. That's where I got mine: about 6 feet tall, no stand, not as voluptuous or as fragrant as I had bought years before, but sturdy enough and $25.

Meredith

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:03:56 -0500

Yeah, Frasier firs are the BEST!

thom

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:01:38 -0500

$15 for a 6 foot fake tree, everything included at Non-Stop Discount, 19th Street and 5th Avenue in Greenwood Heights

decafisevil

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 14:45:20 -0500

I bought a 3' tree for $20 on Caton Avenue in Brooklyn (thanks, Christmas Tree Map). The guy seemed willing to bargain and I'm sure I could've gotten a 5-6' tree for a reasonable price. FYI, you can order a tree from Home Depot online and they'll deliver it for $60.

scoboco

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 14:43:43 -0500

me and my daughters got a nice fraser fir--probably 7ft tall--for $70 on 103d and broadway. that's been pretty much our standard tree for years. last year it cost us $60; the year before, $90. it always seems like a lot when i hand the french-canadian dude the money, but the hour or so spent decorating with my kids is always so cozy and christmas-y, it's totally worth it.

Jane Minty

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 14:29:00 -0500

$20, for a tree exactly as tall as I am (5'6") on the corner of Greenpoint Av and McGuinness.

HappyLittleTrees

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 14:12:27 -0500

We got a pretty sweet near-7 footer for $40 at a vacant lot tree place in Long Island City. I am completely fascinated by these folks who come to the area to sell trees, with their mysterious vans and flannel and orange metal tree-wrapper-upper-tunnel-thingie. I am curious what this friendly group of Canadian tree-selling nomads does the rest of the year. Anyone know?

Scott T.

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 14:11:02 -0500

Next year just buy a nice, small, lush rosemary plant. Hang some ornaments on it. Trim it up and use the trimmings with some roast potatoes and a roast chicken...

jules

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 14:10:17 -0500

Bought a 5 ft tree at a bodega in Park Slope for $25, without stand.

hashashin

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 14:00:57 -0500

I paid $25 for a little tabletop-sized tree in a pot, maybe 2 feet high. That's about the right size for our apartment.

rev pays

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 13:52:45 -0500

$200 for a tree with less than 7 days till Christmas?? I bet the fun was delivering it yourself. At least, Jesse James had a gun when he robs you.

Susie

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 13:44:37 -0500

For $29.95 proflowers.com will send you a 18-22" Cypress evergreen complete with mini-ornaments and lights. After Christmas you can transplant it and supposedly it will flourish either indoors or outdoors. (Fully grown it can reach a height of 15'.) Basically it's a micro tree suitable for micro apartments.

ryan

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 13:37:56 -0500

Egads, I thought $90 in Greenpoint was offensive, so I walked over to Williamsburg, which was mysteriously half as much. I suppose $200 isn't too much if Chris is willing to pay it, huh? Oh, I cut down a 9' tree with my Brother & his family upstate and it was... $15.

Toby

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 13:37:15 -0500

I noticed that a lot of tree sellers have the taller trees. Some seem so tall they may not fit in the average dwelling. As for real trees, they can be a fire hazzard and not good if you have pets.

Jacob Bonk

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 13:29:10 -0500

I bought a 7 footer for $35, including a stand, at a bodega on the NW corner of Houston and 6th Ave. It was a bit of Charlie Browner, but we put it out on our fire escape - so no complaints here!

chris

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 13:19:48 -0500

I bought a tree there, for $200. It seemed high, but I have been out of suburbia and in nyc too long to know what it "reasonable".