Where to buy the best Christmas trees in Chicago
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Mike N.'s holiday Schefflera plant and Jess A.'s tree from Superior Evergreens. Photos courtesy of Mike N. and Jess A.
Instead of fighting over our favorite foods this week, we're arguing over our favorite place to get a Christmas tree!
Monica's pick: I've used a fake tree for 15 years but love to visit my local Lakeview lot, Ivy's Christmas Trees. At Sheffield and Roscoe, Ivy Speck has been selling mostly Fraser firs for 32 years.
- There's something magical about the corner's piney perfume and watching families pick out just the right tree on a snowy night.
Justin's pick: I bought a fake white tree in 2015 for $200.
- Now in its triumphant seventh season, the tree has cost $28.57 a year!
- Sure it's getting rough around the edges, but still worth it!
- If I had to buy a new one, I'd hit up the At Home store in Elmhurst. They have an awesome assortment of fake trees and huge inflatables.
State of play: Our readers, who voted between Justin and Monica's picks, are split right down the middle on the great Christmas tree debate, with real trees enjoying a tiny piney edge in our informal poll.
- Real-tree fans: 83
- Artificial-tree lovers: 82
Between the lines: Our readers like real trees way more than the rest of the country, where about 85% of trees on display are artificial.
- But at least one PBS poll suggests Democrats choose fresh trees more often than Republicans. And we are in Chicago. Just saying.
- If you're wondering which is more sustainable, it depends on how long you use a fake tree and where you buy and dispose of your real tree.
Our readers' top tree opinions:
🌿 Mike N.: "For several years, I have celebrated the holidays and sustainability at the same time by decorating my 8-9-foot-tall Schefflera plant with lights and ornaments. No piney smell, but no cleanup either.
- This year, my 6-foot-tall avocado tree (grown from a pit!) will get the treatment."
🌲 Jess A: "We got the most beautiful Christmas tree at Superior Evergreens, 7950 W. Belmont!"
Mario G: "We went to Sprout at Chicago and Damen this year, but usually Christy Webber on Grand. They had no trees bigger than 8' this year and we usually get a 10-footer."
🥃 Steve J: "I always get my tree from Phyllis' Musical Inn, because what’s better than a shot and a Christmas tree."
🏬 Barbara M: "Got my tree at Wayfair."