Unprecedented early demand for Christmas trees
Dries De Pauw a Christmas tree grower from Bornem in Antwerp Province says he’s never had to start felling his trees so early in the year, but at the minute everybody wants one.
“Usually I wait till the end of November to start cutting them down, but I’ve had to give in to demands from customers.”
Calls have been pouring in!
“We got so many calls from customers enquiring whether Christmas trees were already for sale. People have a deep-seated need for a pleasant environment as a result of the corona crisis. To be honest we’ve been noticing it for years now. Every year people want a Christmas tree earlier. I do try to educate my customers. Personally I feel you can’t’ put a Christmas tree before the feast of St Nicholas.”
But this year Dries was left with little choice. Will the Christmas trees stay good till Christmas?
“That remains to be seen. Possibly your tree will continue to grow. You will see new shoots. This doesn’t really look good on a decorated Christmas tree. This is why I’m trying to convince people to bide their time, but it’s a losing battle.”