Trees for the Holidays

Shopping for the holidays in never convenient or fun in the city, but getting a Christmas tree may be easier than you realize. There are a ton of tree lots just a short distance away from Park Slope, and some of the locations that are further away will deliver within the neighborhood.

Home Depot (550 Hamilton Avenue, Gowanus; (718) 832-8553; www.homedepot.com)

A Home Depot is probably the last place you want to be on a weekend during the holiday season, but their Christmas trees are among the cheapest in Brooklyn and the most accessible to the neighborhood. Eight-foot trees are as low as $40 and six-foot trees start at only $35. The big drawback is they don't deliver trees bought from the store and finding a car service that will accept pine needles all over their backseat may be hard to find. It's possible to order trees off their website for about four times the price that you would pay on site, plus delivery ($190 for an eight foot tree and $120 for a six foot tree).

Keyfood (120 Fifth Avenue between Baltic Street and Butler Street, Park Slope)

Located right in front of the neighborhood supermarket, the friendly woman who's been selling trees here for decades has a bunch of reasonably priced five to seven foot balsam fir trees. Prices range from $45 for a five footer to $60 for a seven footer. They don't offer a delivery service, but they're within walking distance from much of the Slope.

Tarzian West Housewares (194 7th Avenue, Park Slope; (718) 788-4213; www.tarzian-west.com)

You wouldn't normally associate a hardware store with Christmas shopping, but this tree lot in front of Tarzian West has a variety of smaller trees available. Ranging from three-feet to five-feet, with six-foot selections available, prices start as low as $35 for the smaller ones. They don't have a delivery service.

(Union Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, Park Slope; 456 16th Street, Windsor Terrace)

This Christmas setup sells organic trees free of pesticides (plus maple syrup and wreaths!) and has more locations in Brooklyn than any other place in the borough. They deliver for a price to be negotiated, but do free deliveries for elderly and handicapped customers. With all of their trees running $10 a foot, this is a pricier option than other spots you can find, but then again, you're probably used to that if you buy organic regularly.