Cape Cod’s Famous Christmas Tree Shops Getting New Name

Next time you head to your favorite Christmas Tree Shops, it may not be what you expect. It seems the company is rebranding and changing its name is step one.

Just over 50 years ago, Christmas Tree Shops was a little start-up out of Yarmouth that primarily sold penny candy. Since the 1980s, however, the chain has been growing and we've gotten to the point where it has outgrown its own name.

Honestly, there seems to be no good reason the Christmas Tree Shops had that name in the first place. Sure, the first store was literally three buildings giving the plural "shops" a reason. But the stores themselves were more about bargains and cheap candy than anything Christmas, even from the very beginning.

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Whatever the reason for the name, Christmas Tree Shops are about to become a thing of the past as the new owners look to lose that name.

Handil Holdings LLC out of Sudbury bought the chain back in 2020 and they are planning some big changes.

Not only is the company expanding, with plans to open 15 new locations in the next year, they are also rebranding existing stores as simply CTS.

Seems for those new locations in states such as Georgia, Wisconsin and Texas, shoppers were confused by the name Christmas Tree Shops. Everyone outside of New England was expecting Christmas items and only Christmas items, so the name has apparently got to go.

Honestly, the change makes sense and I don't fault non-New Englanders for their confusion. But there is no way I can ever call Christmas Tree Shops anything but Christmas Tree Shops for the rest of my life.

Sorry, CTS.

As for these chains, they probably won't change their names: