Christmas Trees Are The Centerpiece of American Family Holiday Celebrations

“Consumers have so many wonderful options when it comes to building holiday memories and traditions by celebrating Christmas with a Christmas tree, whichever kind of tree they choose,” said Jami Warner, Executive Director of ACTA.

“From the dozens of varieties, sizes, shapes, colors, and buying options available, there really is a Christmas tree for every family, for every room and even the front yard,” she added, referring to the growing trend of households purchasing and displaying more than one Christmas tree and utilizing Christmas trees as a holiday décor element, rather than only as a centerpiece. As it turns out, consumers are taking advantage of the growing number of available options.

77 PERCENT OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS WILL DISPLAY A CHRISTMAS TREE.

Seventy-seven percent of U.S. households, or more than 99 million, display a Christmas tree in their home during the holiday season, according to the fifth annual Christmas tree survey from the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA), conducted by Nielsen. Of those Christmas trees displayed, 81 percent are artificial and 19 percent are real.

Eleven percent of households displaying an artificial tree will display multiple artificial trees, according to the survey. Five percent of households, or nearly five and a half million households, will display both real and artificial Christmas tree this year.

“This year’s survey indicates that prices for both real and artificial trees have risen slightly but sales this season prove that consumers continue to see great value in their Christmas trees and are willing to pay a bit more for the right tree, or trees, that fits their family and their life style,” said Warner. “Clearly, Christmas trees remain a beloved part of the Christmas tradition in our country.”

OTHER KEY FINDINGS OF THE ACTA CHRISTMAS TREE SURVEY CONDUCTED BY NIELSEN INCLUDE:

  • Approximately 22.6 million real trees were sold in 2015.

  • About 11.5 million artificial trees were sold.

  • Consumers purchasing a real tree spend an average of $25.

  • Those purchasing an artificial tree spend an average of $50.

  • More consumers are purchasing their artificial Christmas trees online.

  • Eighty-five percent of households displaying artificial trees will reuse a tree they purchased one or more years ago.

  • Artificial trees currently have an average lifespan of 11 years.

Methodology: American Christmas Tree Association insights are based on data collected by Nielsen through an English Language PanelViews Survey sent to a representative subset of U.S. households in the Homescan Panel; results are projected to represent total U.S. households. The survey was fielded in November, 2015.