KKTX FM logo
Get our free mobile app

There's nothing more beautiful than a fully decorated Christmas tree that is all lit up for the holidays.

Once our artificial tree is pulled out of the attic, unboxed, then fully assembled and decorated, I can sit back and gaze at it for hours. I can get lost in the twinkling of the lights and looking at all of the handcrafted ornaments that my daughter, wife and I have created throughout the years. My fingers are crossed with this statement - I've been blessed throughout the last three years in the fact that all the lights work on the tree after assembling and decorating it. But that wasn't the case three years ago. Our previous tree was only three years old when two-thirds of the lights decided not to work and I had to go out and replace it.

Let's hope that when you go to assemble and decorate your artificial tree, everything goes as planned and it all lights up (if it's a pre-lit tree), because if it doesn't, you'll most likely be headed to the store to buy another one.

Purchase that artificial tree now, while there's stock.

Now if you have to replace that artificial tree or you were going to replace it already, it's going to cost you more this year. Up to 25% more, according to Business Insider and The Wall Street Journal. There are several factors that are driving up the cost of the artificial tree this year:

  • shipping crisis
  • shipping costs
  • pandemic shut downs
  • worker shortages

This price hike isn't just affecting the price of artificial Christmas trees but the many thousands of decorations and lights that go on them. So, bottom line is, if you're even remotely thinking about getting an artificial tree this year you'll want to get it early or hold off and piece your current one together with what you have and hope that the prices go down next year.

It's not just artificial trees, there's a price hike in real trees too.

This price increase is attributed to less mature trees and fewer workers harvesting them, plus, there could be a shortage of real trees like there was last year. So as you're out this weekend purchasing your pumpkins and fall and Halloween decorations and you see a good-looking artificial tree, you just might want to snag it too before it's gone.

LOOK: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.

LOOK: What are the odds that these 50 totally random events will happen to you?

Stacker took the guesswork out of 50 random events to determine just how likely they are to actually happen. They sourced their information from government statistics, scientific articles, and other primary documents. Keep reading to find out why expectant parents shouldn't count on due dates -- and why you should be more worried about dying on your birthday than living to 100 years old.

MORE: Some of the Memes & Tweets That Have Made Us Laugh (and Maybe Think)

Check Out the Best-Selling Album From the Year You Graduated High School

Do you remember the top album from the year you graduated high school? Stacker analyzed Billboard data to determine just that, looking at the best-selling album from every year going all the way back to 1956. Sales data is included only from 1992 onward when Nielsen's SoundScan began gathering computerized figures.

Going in chronological order from 1956 to 2020, we present the best-selling album from the year you graduated high school.

LOOK: The most famous actress born the same year as you

Many of the actresses in this story not only made a name for themselves through their collection of iconic performances, but also through the selfless, philanthropic nature with which many of them approached their stardom. In an age of flipping the script on societal norms, many of these actresses are using their voices and platforms to be advocates for those who are otherwise unheard.

More From KKTX FM