MANHATTAN (KSNT) – It might not even be Halloween yet, but that doesn’t mean you should let a Grinch tell you it’s too early to start thinking about Christmas.

However, this year shoppers can expect to spend more on a Christmas tree, if they can find one at all. One local shop is already working to secure this year’s supply.

Just like everything else in today’s age, from groceries to everyday essentials, you can add Christmas trees to the list of things you can expect to spend more on this year. This is partially to blame on inflation and the labor it takes to ship the trees to places like Blueville Nursery Garden Store in Manhattan.

In years past, you could find yourself a 10-foot tree for around $170. But this year, according to Blueville Nursery Assistant Manager Tyler Cates, you’ll be looking at the $200 price range.

“They’re not gonna be a huge jump, but there is going to be an increase,” Cates said. “Just kind of natural, it always happens every year. But you’re probably gonna looking to be spending five to 30 more dollars on a tree depending on your size this year.”

While people will have to pick into their pocket book more to pick out that perfect tree, it’s no issue for Christmas lover Sarah Lundeen.

“I think we would be able to make the stretch, especially since you always make, prioritize, you prioritize what’s important to you and how you want to decorate,” Lundeen said. “And there’s a way that you can budget accordingly in order to make that a special event.”

But it’s not just the price of the trees that’s a problem, it’s also the availability.

“Your medium to average size tree, I would say, like your 6 to 8 footers, the past couple years our orders have been cut by almost 90%,” Cates said. “Years ago there was just a really big shortage and so that size has been really limited this year.”

While that perfect tree might be harder to come by, Lundeen says having one just makes the holiday season more special.

“I think it would be nice to have a traditional Christmas especially since we haven’t had full Christmases with experiences of Covid and the pandemic,” Lundeen said.

Cates also adds that although the prices will be higher, he’s not too worried about the trees selling because, as with everything else, he says people seem to adapt and get what they can.