Christmas went on the auction block this week in Pennsylvania farm country, and there was no shortage of bidders.

About 50,000 Christmas trees and enough wreaths, crafts and other seasonal items to fill an airplane hangar were bought and sold by lots and on consignment at the annual two-day event put on at the Buffalo Valley Produce Auction in Mifflinburg.

Buyers from across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic were there to supply garden stores, corner lots and other retail outlets for the coming rush of customers eager to bring home a tree — most commonly a Fraser fir — or to deck the halls with miles of greenery.

Bundled-up buyers were out in chilly temperatures to hear auctioneers hawk boxes of ornaments, bunches of winterberry, cotton branches, icicle lights, grave blankets, red bows and tree stands.

It was nearly everything you would need for Christmas except the food and the presents.

Buffalo Valley auction manager Neil Courtney said farm-grown tree prices seem to have stabilized, and he sees hope that the trend toward artificial trees can be reversed.

For Carolyn and Richard Mattern, retirees from nearby Beavertown, the annual auction has become a tradition. They’ve been attending for years, and each visit marks the unofficial start of the holiday season for the couple.

David Vdov, who operates a small greenhouse and landscaping business, also stops by as he prepares for the holidays. But like many, he said the end of the year always feels like a race against the clock.

A survey by a trade group, the National Christmas Tree Association, found that more than 21 million farm-grown Christmas trees were sold in 2023, with median price of $75. About a quarter of them were purchased at a “choose-and-cut” farm, one in five from a chain store, and most of the rest from nurseries, retail lots, nonprofit sales and online.

AP Video by Tassanee Vejpongsa