As the holidays are quickly approaching, you may be wondering when does Home Depot get Christmas trees? If you’re looking for a specific kind of tree or just want to know what options they have at your local store, this article should help answer all those questions.
So when does Home Depot get Christmas trees? Home Depot Christmas trees are available for in-store purchase or online delivery in November and December each year. Live Christmas trees are stocked starting in late November. Farm-fresh deliveries of real Christmas trees continue throughout November and December, right up to Christmas Day.
Well before Black Friday’s November shopping spree, stores are stocked with Christmas decorating accessories.
In this article, let’s plan the ideal time to buy your Christmas tree and some creative ideas for Christmas tree family traditions. Of course, planning your tree purchase also requires some thought regarding the style of tree your family enjoys…and we’ll review your many options.
When Does Home Depot Get Christmas Trees?
Home Depot starts getting their Christmas trees in stock in mid- to late-November to ensure that the trees are fresh enough when Christmas rolls around. Along with the trees themselves, this is when Christmas tree accessories start getting into the store, including ornaments, streamers, and stars.
Throughout the period between late-November and Christmas, Home Depot receives orders of live Christmas trees to ensure that they have enough stock to match the demand. The exact delivery schedule for the trees varies based on the store that you’re shopping at.
Home Depot keeps stocking Christmas trees right up until the day of Christmas itself, just in case any customers are looking for a last-minute tree. After December 25th, Christmas trees are taken out of stock until the next year’s festivities get started.
Celebrating the Christmas (Tree) Season
From Scotch Pine to Douglas Fir, and with White Pine and Balsam Fir and other top choices in the mix, a fresh tree brings the warmth, cheer and pleasant scents of nature to your family’s Christmas memories. With the convenience of online shopping, ordering your tree for home delivery is also an easy convenience.
Let’s take look at some of the tree options available to you, whether your family is considering initiating a new tree tradition or a traditional, fresh-cut tree.
The traditional choices:
- fresh-cut tree – available at Home Depot in November/December
- artificial tree – available at Home Depot (online and in some stores) year-round, with increased selection (size, shape, tree type, color, added features like lights) during the pre-Christmas, fall season
Some fresh, new ideas:
- DIY tree – can be prepared any time of the year as a pre-holiday family project using supplies and tools available year-round at home improvement stores
- Potted trees – living trees are available year-round at Home Depot’s garden centers and extra stock is featured during the pre-Christmas decorating season (from late November through to Christmas Day)
When planning the timing of your family’s Christmas tree arrangements, consider the following options for a family outing:
- For fresh-cut trees, consider a family outing to the tree lot over the Thanksgiving weekend for best selection
- If your family enjoys a crisp, fall drive, consider cutting your own tree by visiting a tree farm in your area
And here are some environmentally-friendly considerations:
- Artificial trees can be stored year-to-year with the decorations intact
- If you are in the market for an artificial tree, think about beginning your shopping over the summer months, as you might find online, off-season, Christmas-in-July special pricing offers
- For DIY enthusiasts, begin planning your crafting supply list early so you can then enjoy a rewarding, memory-building time as a family over the Thanksgiving long weekend
Return Policies – Retail and Nature
Before we consider the realities of tree maintenance and post-season disposal, have you considered that you might need to return your tree? Home Depot offers returns on Christmas trees and other purchases, which may give some of your more adventurous ideas for a new 2021 Christmas tree tradition the courage to begin.
Mother Nature’s return policy is also an important consideration. Thinking about the environmental impact of our Christmas season decorating and purchasing is becoming increasingly significant. Should sustainability, year-to-year, be part of your family’s considerations….possibly through storage of an artificial tree or moving a potted tree indoors for the season?
Is it a priority to mulch the family tree, knowing it will become garden fuel for spring flowers and summer backyard barbecues? Will the type of fresh tree you select be important, based on growing and transport resource consumption, as well as aesthetic value and particular scent? Discussing these important environment considerations brings the ‘buy local, think global’ motto into your family’s holiday traditions.
Don’t Forget to Consider These Factors
Remember that a real tree consumes real water — up to a quart of water a day when the tree is freshly purchased! This means that a tree is working hard to avoid drying out and the earlier you buy a real tree, the harder the struggle is. To make it through to Christmas morning safely, it is wise to consider purchasing your tree in the second half of November at the earliest.
Remember that Home Depot locations receive increasing volume in their fresh-cut tree deliveries as November progresses and into December.
When you consider how you will dispose of your tree after New Year’s Day has passed, think about Home Depot’s tree mulching options. Alternatively, if you have opted for an artificial tree, you will find effective storage container options at various retailers, including upright storage bags on wheels for ease-of-transport. Living trees can be transplanted or set outside on a porch soon after the holiday season and Home Depot offers guidance on correct handling for transplant success.
Tree Logistics
Particularly for fresh-cut or live, potted trees, your family’s ability to transport the purchase home needs some additional planning and forethought. When many family members are participating in the logistics, how to get the tree home can become a logistical challenge.
Consider the room where your tree will stand. How high is the ceiling? Do you have room for a broad tree, or do you need to consider more of a ‘pencil’ shape?
Once you know the dimensions of your room, you can select a tree with an eye-pleasing amount of height and breadth. Now, how do you get it home?
Store delivery is an option. But, for those who want to handle the whole process on the same-day, you might also want to consider the option of short-term vehicle rental. For the quick jaunt home, a Home Depot truck rental might do the trick with minimal additional cost and maximum convenience!
The family Christmas tree has a special place in our homes and hearts. Consider Home Depot’s tree availability, whether for summer online advance purchasing, collection of DIY tree craft supplies or just-in-time pick-up of your fresh-cut tree at the lot. A little planning in the timing of your purchases will smooth the way for the sparkle in the children’s eyes as your tree is lit!