Need to buy a Christmas tree? Head online

These days, consumers can order just about anything on the Internet - even real Christmas trees.

More shoppers are ordering Christmas trees online and having them shipped straight to their doorsteps to avoid crowded tree lots and the hassle of hauling trees back home on the roof of their cars.

Around 25 million to 30 million Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. every year, and the National Christmas Tree Association estimates 175,000 trees are sold on the Internet or from a catalog.

Though it may seem like a small number, Becky Rasmussen, a spokeswoman for the association, says ordering Christmas trees online is growing in popularity, despite lofty shipping costs.

Lands' End, a Dodgeville, Wis.-based catalog retailer, is selling Fraser firs online for the first time this year.

Spokeswoman Michele Casper says the trees hail from North Carolina and are chopped on the day they are ordered to keep them fresh. She expects online ordering to resonate with shoppers who are looking for convenience.

"It's less stress and less mess," Casper says. "We all know the holidays are hectic, and this year there are fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Every little bit is going to help this season."

For $129.50, shoppers can buy a tree between 4 feet and 5 feet or pay $299.50 for a bigger tree between 8 feet and 9 feet - the largest offered by Lands' End.

Meanwhile, Utah-based Tannenbaum's, a family-owned business, sells Fraser firs and Noble firs online from tree farms in North Carolina and Oregon.
Spokeswoman Melissa Atkin says a lot of business last year came from the elderly and apartment dwellers, who were unable to transport the Christmas trees to their homes.

Atkin says once shoppers place their orders on the Web, the trees are cut down immediately and shipped within 48 to 72 hours to ensure freshness. The company's most popular tree is about 6 feet to 7 feet high and costs about $74.