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A look into the first artificial trees and how they have become a growing trend

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A look into the first artificial trees and how they have become a growing trend


Artificial trees have become a favored option for many families. 

Overall, an artificial tree requires a lot less maintenance and care than a real tree does. Additionally, the price of an artificial tree may be more expensive than a real one, but in the long run, it turns out to be more affordable. 

Artificial trees may not have quite as long a history as real Christmas trees, but they have been sold in stores for quite a long time. 

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The artificial tree dates back to Germany during the 19th century. They were first created using goose-feathers during the time period, according to Britannica. 

Sears, Roebuck & Company is credited by the National Christmas Tree Association as the first store to sell artificial trees. This started around 1883, according to the source. 

Artificial Christmas tree in store

Artificial trees have a long history of being displayed as the centerpiece of Christmas in many households. (iStock / iStock)

At this time, consumers could pick up 33 limbs for $0.50 or 55 limbs for $1.00, according to the source. 

Sears was once the epicenter of all things Christmas. 

It was in 1933 when Sears issued their very first, very popular Christmas catalog, according to History.com, filled with all the hottest items of the year. 

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The 1933 catalog included products such as the “Miss Pigtails” doll, a Mickey Mouse watch and a five pound box of chocolates, according to the Sears Archives. 

The Sears Archives slightly differs on the exact date of when the first artificial trees were sold by the store, noting that the store “began selling Christmas stockings and artificial Christmas trees in 1910.”

Sears Department store entrance

Sears was the first store to begin selling artificial Christmas trees. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In 1968, the name of the catalog officially changed to the “Wish Book,” per the source. 

The 1960s saw other big box stores joining the scene, like Walmart and Target, with similar offerings to Sears. 

The catalog division of Sears shut down in 1993, according to History.com. 

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Today, artificial trees are sold by a variety of retailers, including Lowes, Walmart, Target and Home Depot. 

While the price of trees today far exceeds the cost when they were initially sold, they tend to be more affordable, in the long run, compared to real trees, since they can be reused year after year. 

Artificial Christmas trees in store

Artificial trees fill store aisles during the holiday season. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The average cost of an artificial tree varies greatly. There are options as low as a few hundred dollars, and as high as over a thousand. 

One allure of the artificial tree is the overall convenience it provides. Some of them do not even need to be decorated, as they come with lights already draped around the tree. 

That said, many families still love the tradition of going to a local Christmas tree farm and picking out a tree to display in their home throughout the holiday season. Plus, the piney scent is one missing from a fake tree. 

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In 2024, 46% of people say that they plan on displaying an artificial tree in their home for the holidays, according to Statista. That’s compared to the 24% who plan on picking up a real tree. 



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Claim Your Divine Gift

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Flags of Valor employs military veterans to create patriotic products

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Flags of Valor employs military veterans to create patriotic products


For Flags of Valor – a veteran-owned and operated business that has shipped more than 96,000 flags to doorsteps nationwide – the phrase “made in America” lies at the foundation of everything it stands for.

“For over 10 years, we’ve been saying the same thing – we build American products, on American wood, with American tools, made by American hands,” Flags of Valor founder and military veteran Brian Steorts told FOX Business. “And we do it while giving back to the causes that matter – supporting veterans, educating youth, and honoring service and sacrifice at every step.”

VETERANS SHARE PATRIOTISM, PRIDE AND PRODUCTIVITY WHILE ALSO PROMOTING ‘MILITARY WORK ETHIC’

Founded in Virginia in 2015, Flags of Valor is known for its handcrafted, wooden U.S. flags, as well as military and first responder flags. The business currently has 10 employees, the majority of whom are veterans and military spouses.

Flags of Valor currently has 10 employees, the majority of whom are veterans and military spouses.

Flags of Valor currently has 10 employees, the majority of whom are veterans and military spouses. (Flags of Valor)

Each material used by the Flags of Valor team – from the woodworking tools to the tape for the shipping boxes – is sourced from American companies, according to Steorts.

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“We believe that’s the only way it should be done,” Steorts said.

Steorts, a combat veteran who was deployed nine times, served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and later as an Air Force special operations pilot. 

In 2013, he got into woodworking after returning from one of his deployments injured and “mentally and physically” broken, he said. During that same time period, Steorts also lost four friends in combat and his sister to mental health struggles.

Founded in Winchester, Virginia in 2015, Flags of Valor is known for its handcrafted, wooden U.S. flags, as well as military and first responder flags.

Founded in Winchester, Virginia, in 2015, Flags of Valor is known for its handcrafted, wooden U.S. flags, as well as military and first responder flags. (Flags of Valor)

“I wanted something patriotic on the wall of my house – something that meant something,” Steorts said. “I found therapy in [woodworking], and I found philanthropy in it by donating my first couple of flags to the widows of my buddies that passed, and I just knew I wanted to do more.”

While Flags of Valor’s best-selling products today are its wooden U.S. flags, the business also sells patriotic home and office decor, awards, memorial displays, corporate gifts, employee recognition pieces, Christmas ornaments, clothing and accessories, and more, Steorts said. 

VETERAN-OWNED BREWING COMPANY PAYS TRIBUTE TO FALLEN HEROES: ‘GREAT AMERICAN BEER’ TO HONOR SACRIFICE

“One of the most important things we’re doing right now is building memorial flag cases – because our heroes deserve a final resting place for their flag that’s made by a veteran-owned American company, not mass-produced overseas,” he said.

Flags of Valor Founder Brian Steorts is pictured with Donald Trump

Flags of Valor Founder Brian Steorts is pictured with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in 2017. (Flags of Valor)

In addition to employing veterans, Flags of Valor has also given back by donating $1.7 million to veteran-operated nonprofits. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company also launched a Kids Flag Building Kit, a hands-on activity to help educate children about the history and values the American flag represents. Each year, during the weeks of Veterans Day and Memorial Day, thousands of students across the nation use the kits to create their own American flags.  

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“We believe in educating our youth and passing freedom on to the next generation,” Steorts said. “It’s more than a project – it’s about patriotism, education and preserving what matters most.”



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Consumers may face higher beef prices from businesses

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Consumers may face higher beef prices from businesses


High beef prices have been weighing on U.S. businesses and consumers.

They have forced some businesses to make tough decisions about how to handle the increased costs, and some are passing the costs on to customers. 

Rob Passio, the owner of Lombardi’s Prime Meats in Philadelphia, told FOX Business correspondent Jeff Flock on “Varney & Co” that “there’s only so much you can absorb as far as the hit to your bottom line before you say to yourself you have to raise these prices.” 

The butcher shop, Passio said, hasn’t seen its customers balk at higher prices “because they see it.” 

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ground beef

Organic ground beef Oct. 30, 2020, in Bavaria, Nuremberg (Daniel Karmann/picture alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“They see the inflation. They see the pricing. You know, everything is up,” he told Flock.

Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation data measured by the consumer price index (CPI) showed prices for beef and veal were up 2.4% month-over-month and 7.6% year-over-year in February. 

The overall CPI posted a 0.2% increase month-over-month and a 2.8% jump year-over-year.

Courtney Schmidt, sector manager at Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute, told FOX Business last month that high beef prices were driven by tighter U.S. beef production with consistent consumer demand.

The U.S. cattle herd is experiencing a down cycle, with cattle inventories at historically low levels in 2025, according to Schmidt.

Beef is more expensive

Demand for beef has remained strong since the pandemic, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. (Kennedy Hayes/Fox News  / Fox News)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported in late January that U.S. farms had 86.7 million head of cattle and calves. The count for beef cows specifically was 27.9 million, a decline of 1% compared to the same time last year, according to the USDA.

“I know they’re killing smaller cattle, so they’re trying, I guess, to kill them faster to create the supply that demand is needing,” Passio said. 

Some big companies source beef from Canada and Mexico, Flock reported on “Varney & Co.”

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President Donald Trump imposed 25% import tariffs on goods entering the U.S. from those two countries March 4 and, more recently, introduced exemptions for Mexico and Canada on goods under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement until early April.

Such a levy on imported beef would “increase the price,” according to Passio, adding that consumers “are going to pay for it.”

“My philosophy is to sell it as low as you can to show a savings, a value to the customer. And hopefully you have more customers to generate your revenue,” the Lombardi Prime Meats owner told Flock.  

beef in supermarket

Packages of beef are displayed for sale at a supermarket Jan. 12, 2023, in Foster City, Calif. (Liu Guanguan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In the U.S., ground beef averaged $5.63 per pound in February, while the per-pound price of boneless sirloin steak came in at $11.90, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Those average prices were 9.6% and 1.6% higher, respectively, than the same month in 2024.

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The USDA projected in a report released this month that U.S. beef production is poised to amount to 26.685 billion pounds this year. 

Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.



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