PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — ‘Tis the season to get the right Christmas tree, and for many, it's a natural evergreen. But in parts of South Jersey, lots of people are having a hard time finding one.
Since 1961, Indian Acres Tree Farm in Medford has been selling natural Christmas trees, but the 2020 season has been challenging, said owner Tonya Olson.
"Farms, they’re sold out. They either chose not to open because it isn't easy with the whole COVID thing,” said Olson.
Because of that, Olson said she preordered less trees this year because she expected the farm would sell half of what it did last year. They also closed off their fields for fresh tree picking, and the supply she has is going fast.
"We're definitely getting people telling us when they come here that they've been to other places first and they're so happy we have trees,” Olson said.
But she said they don’t have a shortage of trees on the national level, so it might just be a regional issue.
National Christmas Tree Association's Doug Hundley said there is a front loading of sales this year. People are buying trees early as they want some joy and light from months of darkness with the pandemic.
"There's nothing like bringing real green living foliage into the house and celebrating the upcoming longer days and spring is on the way,” Hundley said.