Local tree farms are marking Christmas Tree Day today.
It happens annually on the first Saturday in December, as declared by Forests Ontario back in 2015.
“Twinkling lights on a bushy Christmas tree, the scent of the boughs filling the room, brings calm to the stress of living through a pandemic,” Forests Ontario said in a recent press release.
“This year, more than ever, only a real Christmas tree will make the season sparkle.”
ECM Tree Farms has been a part of holiday traditions for local residents for 10 years. The tree lot at 15 Simcoe St. in Orillia has seen a massive increase in sales through the first week of the holiday season — 30 to 40 per cent more than usual for this time of year.
“I got started a little earlier this year because people are ready to buy,” said ECM Tree Farms owner Eric Marchildon.
The high demand for Christmas trees this year is met with a shortage of inventory, he explained.
“There is a shortage of trees. If you are looking to buy wholesale in Ontario, there are fewer farmers and fewer generations that have kept it going, so there are only so many of us out there this year,” he said.
Her said the COVID-19 pandemic is also a factor.
“People are hearing on the news that there is a shortage of trees, so they are sort of panicking and they want to get their trees before there are none left,” he said.
Usually, ECM Tree Farms will sell out of trees by Dec. 15 or 20, but with the way sales are going so far, Marchildon anticipates he will sell out well before then.
He said the tree everyone is after again this year is the Fraser fir, which holds its needles longer than the other trees he has in stock.
“I only have so many and once I’m out, that’s it. I have other good trees, but they don’t hold as well as the Frasers do,” he said, encouraging locals to buy early.
Marchildon expects this weekend to be the busiest of the holiday season for tree buyers, and his lot will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., as it is seven days a week.
For those looking for a more festive and interactive Christmas tree farm experience, Ayers Tree Farm is open once again this year at 3065 Line 10 N. in Hawkestone, where it offers tractor rides and refreshments from its food stand during the weekends.
Because of the more interactive experience, owner Robin Ayers said the farm had to make many adjustments to keep visitors safe during the pandemic.
“We have signs up, hand-sanitizing stations, saws that we spray after each use. We spray the wagons down and wipe them down with disinfectant, and we ask people to wear masks in our staging area and on the wagons,” Ayers explained.
“I put a month’s worth of work in to make sure everything was set up in a way that would keep everyone safe and socially distanced.”
Despite the pandemic, he said, many locals are still coming out to the farm this year, looking for some sort of a holiday experience in light of most other local events and activities being cancelled.
“We’ve been seeing good turnouts so far, which is also in part due to the good weather we’ve had,” Ayers said.
“Everybody is extremely happy that we are still open, and we provide families the chance to come out and have an experience.”
Like most other tree farms, Ayers has also seen an uptick in sales during the early parts of the holiday season. He estimates they are up about 10 per cent from this time last year.
“I think that’s because there aren’t a lot of farms around who are doing it anymore,” he said.
Depending on the weather, Ayers anticipates a busy tree-selling weekend. His farm will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., as it is every weekend leading up to Christmas.
