WINNIPEG -- Winnipeggers have been left scrambling to find Christmas trees after stores across the city sold out in a seasonal surge described as 'fast and furious,' but there are still some to be found if Winnipeggers are up for a drive.
Susan Jensen Stubbe, the owner of Jensen Nursery in Winnipeg, said her nursery sold more than 1,000 Christmas trees this year, and now it is sold out after an unprecedented season.
"(It was) fast and furious. We've sold out in record time," she said. "We don't have any trees left and we can't get any more."
She said there are usually about 400 Christmas trees still up for grabs at this point in a normal year.
"I think it is people staying home and are wanting to have a little bit of joy and something different in their home, so they are doing Christmas earlier," she said.
Jensen Nursery is not the only business to have an empty Christmas tree lot this year.
"This is usually when it starts to ramp up, and we are completely sold out of trees," Ray DuBois, owner of the Ron Paul Garden Centre, told CTV News.
"Never have I been sold out of trees in the first week of December in my life."
DuBois said he upped his order of Christmas trees over the summer in anticipation of a busier season, but the rush exceeded his expectations.
"They just attacked, they just came in full of force and gobbled up all the trees – we couldn't believe what we were seeing," he said, adding he does not know of any more local stores that have trees left.
DuBois said there may be some trees up for grabs at a handful of big-box stores in the city.
While it may be difficult for Winnipeggers to buy a tree within the city, there are still some trees available outside the Perimeter Highway – they are just still in the ground.
Windrift Christmas Tree Farm in Tyndall, Man., announced on Saturday it had officially sold out of pre-cut trees, but they still have more than 3,000 trees available for Manitobans who want to come chop one down.
The farm, which is open over the weekends, said people can pick out the tree they want and staff will help them cut it down.
More information about Christmas Tree Farms in Manitoba can be found online.
The Province of Manitoba is also giving Manitobans another option to decorate their homes for the holidays. Manitobans can purchase a permit to find a Christmas tree on crown land and cut it down themselves.
The province told CTV News it has sold 1,110 Christmas tree permits so far this year – which is more than double the number of permits sold last year.
"Going to the forest to cut a Christmas tree is an important tradition for many families and can be the source of cherished, long-lasting memories," a provincial spokesperson told CTV News in a written statement.
Those who do purchase a permit are reminded to follow public health orders when entering provincial forests.
