Your festive Christmas environment is set to cost you more this year, assuming you don't have everything you need in your attic. NBC News reports that tariffs are expected to lift the price of artificial Christmas trees 10% to 20%, with Christmas lights potentially costing as much as 63% more than last year, according to major US importers. The reason is simple: Nearly all mass-market Christmas decorations are made overseas, mostly in China. That global element won't change, says the CEO of major artificial tree vendor Balsam Hill.
Mac Harman estimates an $800 tree made in China would cost closer to $3,000 if made in the US due to labor and capital costs—and moving the equipment that makes them would be near impossible. "There's a ton of capital that's invested in these factories, and the equipment's so big you can't even pick it up and put it on a container [ship] and transport it," Harman says.
He notes most consumers want prelit trees, and much of the light-stringing is done by hand by people in China who "are experts in stringing the lights, and they've done it for a long time. They're very fast at it. They're good at it." One positive note for those who go the live route: Live Christmas trees remain largely unaffected by tariffs, as most are grown in the US or imported tariff-free from Canada. If you're determined to go the artificial route, the New York Times' Wirecutter shares its six top picks here (a Balsam Hill option comes out on top).
,
uBlock 
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and
Ghostery 
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