HOUSTON – A lot of people are decorating for Christmas early this year but if you want a real tree, you are probably waiting for this weekend. That’s when most Christmas tree farms are open for business.
We stopped by Holiday Acres Christmas Tree Farm in Manvel to find out what customers can expect this year when they go to choose and cut their own trees. Owner Rocky Smith is also the president of the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association. He said the good thing about tree farms is that most have plenty of space to let customers spread out and social distance. While each farm is adapting to comply with local and federal regulations, this is what Smith is doing at Holiday Acres:
- All employees who interact with customers will wear masks at all times.
- Customers only have to wear masks on the hayride and inside the barn.
- They will cut the seats on the hayride down by 75%, so you may have to wait longer for a ride out to the farm to find a tree.
- Employees will disinfect the measuring sticks and saws between each customer.
The coronavirus had no impact on the crop. Smith says there are plenty of trees; and prices have stayed relatively flat from last year.
There are 15 Christmas tree farms in the greater Houston area. You can find one near you here.
If you choose to stay home, you can get a fresh tree delivered, but you may be waiting a minute. Home Depot advertises that you can order your fresh cut Christmas tree online today and get free delivery if the tree costs at least $45. But when we put a fresh Frasier Fir in our virtual cart, the earliest it said it could get to us was December 23rd.
WalMart’s free delivery of fresh trees is a little faster. A fresh cut 6 to 7 foot Frasier Fir is $109.99. The earliest delivery available was 11 days from the order date.
Amazon also has some fresh Christmas trees available for delivery. If you are a Prime member, you can get some delivered in just two days.