How Tariffs Are Making Christmas Decor RIGHT Again

Seen the headlines? Tariffs abroad are pushing up the cost of artificial Christmas trees, and suddenly folks from Missouri to right here in the Carolinas are saying “heck no” to plastic pine.

I say FINALLY!

There’s something about a real tree that hits different. A fake tree can get lights up fast, no mess, no pine needles on the floor, on and on. But this winter, fake isn’t cheap. Tariffs have hiked up the cost for import-heavy fake trees, and — surprise — that’s got people reconsidering the sentimental, old-school option: the real fir or pine, snagged fresh from a stand.

And that’s a win on more than just nostalgia.

Real Christmas trees bring something electric — the smell of fresh pine, the subtle crackle when lights go on, the festive event of going with the family to select just the right one — little reminders that this holiday thing has roots. Roots in real soil, real farms, real seasons. Every time you barrel into a pick-and-cut farm with your family or hit up a local lot to haul out a tree, you’re keeping alive a tradition.

There’s also something quietly sustainable about it — especially if you take it outside and torch it in January. You get holiday vibes, and less long-term waste.

This shift is something deeper we've seen before: when the easy, disposable, knock-off option fails, people default back to something authentic. That’s human. It’s like wanting home-cooked comfort food, and expect Ramen to do the job. They crave the familiar. The real. The grounded. Meanwhile, would you believe that according to a recent Fortune study, it showed that more than 85% of Christmas trees purchased each year, are artificial?

The so-called 'Fake tree advantages' are really just plastic, sterile, amateurish excuses.

There’s no better time to let the house fill with real pine aroma, real memories, and real wood.

This season, picking a real Christmas tree isn’t backward. It’s a solid move. It’s a return to roots. And in a world that keeps trying to sell you ease and plastic illusions, maybe what we need is a little more real.

-TBob