Every year Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier. Commercial Christmas trees and holiday decorations are now emerging before Labor Day in some stores. But if you are a merchant, when should you start thinking about your commercial decorations?
When Should I Buy a Commercial Christmas Tree?
Historically the artificial commercial tree buying season starts in the early spring, so merchants and property managers receive their trees prior to the soft launch of the holiday season which now can start as early as July, with corporate merchants like Hallmark having their ornament roll outs early each year.
Trees are stocked in heights that are less than 40 feet. They often require a freight charge because they cannot be shipped in standard sizes, and that will add to the lead time on the tree.
The more popular commercial Christmas tree, especially for malls and Santa displays run between 60 and 80 feet, and those are made to order and again will require special shipping arrangements.
What that means is that for any merchant to have the tree at the time they need It, early spring is the best time to order your trees so they will arrive before you need to set them up.
Other considerations and good practices would be to order your trees for next season, around the time you are putting away your trees. Assess what is damaged and don’t put off ordering its replacement. Trees under 40 feet should be able to be shipped in under 30 days, but 45 feet and up need to be give 60-day lead times. By July 1st you should be in possession of your tree for the upcoming year.
Other popular types of commercial trees include the flocked trees that give the appearance of snow. These trees come in a variety of heights as well, and are perfect for any winter wonderland scene.
What Are Popular Holiday and Commercial Tree Decorating Ideas?
There are multiple ways to decide on a commercial Christmas tree, with the very first being whether to purchase a pre-lit Christmas tree or an unlit tree. Although a little more expensive, it is becoming increasingly popular to go with a pre-lit tree.
Pre-lit commercial trees are configured to accommodate the electrical load associated with the size of the tree. They also feature commercial wiring to maximize safety and avoid electrical fires that often come from overloaded circuitry.
An additional benefit of pre-lit trees is the wires are hidden. They are securely mounted to the limbs. This means that as kids come up to the tree they are less likely to become ensnared in the wiring and limits their ability to pull on the bulb. There are also less wires to have ‘hide,’ thus reducing the liability that tripping over wires may cause. When clustering tress, which is also a common practice, limiting the amount of exposed wires is also a benefit.
Unlit trees are usually less expensive and allow better freedom in how lights are placed. This allows the environmental personnel to have better control on to light the tree in relation to where it is located. Unlike pre-lit trees whose lights are equally distributed, the unlit tree is a blank canvas.
All commercial trees, regardless of whether they are pre-lit, are rated for indoor or outdoor use. So, whether it be a mall display inside at center court, or a perimeter of trees around the mall exterior, these commercial trees are designed with extra durability to withstand a child touching it, or the elements.
Other Commercial Holiday Lighting Options
Other popular commercial Christmas decorations include large wreaths, usually over 60” in diameter. There are both pre-lit and unlit wreaths available. These usually go over mall entrances or are used on the sides of buildings.
There are also upside-down wreaths and garland, which are designed to allow the permanent gooseneck and sign lighting to be altered for the holidays as well.
Commercial lengths of garland for over the doorway is another item that should be checked and pre-ordered when at all possible.
There are many lit ornaments and other commercial grade Christmas decorations, but the biggest thing to remember is they should be ordered early to meet the earliest of deadlines.
