So lemme tell you how I hunted down that Gucci Christmas tree this year. Saw it online, thought it looked wild fancy, and just had to get my hands on one for the holidays. Figured going straight to the source was smart, you know?
Starting With the Official Gucci Store
First thing I did was pull up the Gucci website. Felt like the safest bet to get the real deal, right? Navigated to their holiday section – gotta say, their site is slick but sometimes confusing. Found the tree page after some clicking around. Saw the price tag… yikes, crazy expensive like expected, but man, the details looked so good in those pictures! Added it to my cart quick. Hit checkout, filled in all my details… aaaand got slapped with the “out of stock” message. Dead end already? Couldn’t believe it.
Hitting Up Big Department Stores
Okay, plan B. Started checking those big, fancy department stores online. Figured they might stock it as a special holiday item. Looked through all their luxury holiday collections one by one.
- Saks Fifth Avenue: Searched, nothing. Zilch.
- Neiman Marcus: Scrolled through gifts, nada.
- Bergdorf Goodman: Same deal. “Gucci Tree”? No results.
Some were totally sold out of their luxury trees already. Others didn’t seem to carry it at all. Kept hitting refresh on a few pages like a crazy person, hoping stock might magically appear. Nope.
Trying My Luck on eBay
Getting kinda desperate now. Jumped over to eBay. Typed in “Gucci Christmas Tree” – whoa, listings popped up! Saw a couple but man:
- The prices? Insane! Way above that original retail price, like triple!
- Shipping? Could take weeks, and who knows how it’d arrive.
- Used? Saw one listing where someone already stuck ornaments on it. Felt kinda weird buying a second-hand Christmas tree, even if it was Gucci.
My finger hovered over the “Buy It Now” button a few times… just couldn’t pull the trigger. Trusting a random seller with that much cash? Scary.
Scoring Big with a Local Pickup
Kept scrolling through eBay listings, getting grumpier. Then bam! Saw one listing buried further down: collection only. Someone right in Manhattan was selling theirs, sealed and brand new. Price was still high, but less crazy than the others. Messaged the seller immediately. Asked if it was truly unused, original packaging, all that. Got a quick reply – yes! Negotiated a tiny bit (saved myself maybe a fancy coffee’s worth, but still felt like a win). Paid through the platform for safety, grabbed the address, and hopped on the subway that very afternoon.
Met the seller outside a nice brownstone building. Cold out! Did the handoff right there on the sidewalk. Opened the box a little to peek – saw that green velvet base and the gold details. Solid. Hefted it home, packed tight on the train. Kinda awkward carrying a huge Gucci box with everyone staring, but whatever!
Getting It All Setup
Got it home, carefully took everything out. The velvet base feels so luxe. The little mirrored balls were all individually wrapped. Took forever to unwrap them! Followed the instructions carefully – putting the base together was easy peasy, attaching the top star took patience. Found the perfect spot in my living room corner where everyone can see it when they walk in. Plugged it in… lights worked perfectly. Whew!
Definitely learned a few things:
- Go official first, but be ready to move lightning fast.
- Big stores can flake, stock is super limited.
- eBay’s risky, but sometimes you get lucky with a careful local buy.
- Protect the thing! Got a cheap plastic cover for it after setup to keep dust off that velvet.
The hunt was stressful, but seeing it lit up now? Totally worth the hassle.
