Christmas Trees Are For Sale Again On The Upper West Side

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A couple walking hand in hand sent pine needles scattering as they ducked into a deli on the Upper West Side.

An elderly man shuffled in the now smaller sidewalk space between the trees and a set of stairs leading to a pizza place.

That was the scene on one Upper West Side street corner as Christmas trees are again on sale in New York City.

A vendor set up shop Saturday on Amsterdam Avenue and West 74th Street with a long line of Christmas trees for sale.

Holiday trees for sale on city blocks are not generally seen before Thanksgiving, but there are widespread reports of an uptick in early Christmas tree purchases due to concerns over future coronavirus restrictions complicating the purchasing process.

Conversation over Christmas trees in Manhattan has already swirled in recent weeks over an adorable owl getting found in the famed Rockefeller Center tree. That tree was brought in from Oneonta in upstate New York and installed in Midtown Manhattan on Nov. 16.

• Owl Rescued From Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The festivities around the holiday season in New York is a welcomed addition to a year that has had very few festivities of any kind.

Here are a few fun facts about Christmas trees, according to AccuWeather.

• The United States has nearly 15,000 Christmas tree farms, and 98 percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms.
• The Protestant reformer Martin Luther is credited with decorating the first Christmas tree with lights in the 16th century.
• A Christmas tree can take up to 15 years of growing to reach its max height.
• Artificial Christmas trees originated in Germany during the 19th century, before becoming popular in the United States.