The Merchants of Joy (2025)

The Merchants of Joy is a documentary looking at several families operating Christmas tree lots in Manhattan. It focuses much more on the personalities of those involved than it does on the business side, in no small part because none of those profiled were willing to open their books and reveal trade secrets. We get a little behind the scenes information surrounding the bidding process for lots, how hard it is to turn a profit, what they do during the off-season (mostly operate other seasonal stands), and that big box stores operating at low margins are an existential threat to this business. We also learn several of the sellers largely source their trees from the Pacific Northwest, which surprised me a bit (I'd have assumed Maine or Canada). But the bulk of the documentary was focused more on them as people.

It all works because it's an interesting, quirky collection. The year the documentary was recorded (I'm assuming 2024) also turned out to be a significant one, as two of the families were in the process of handing the reins over to the next generation. In one case, the passing is particularly bittersweet.

That would be "Greg," a tree seller who dresses (and looks like) Santa and volunteers at a children's hospital. The documentary sort of implies something's up early on - there's a bit of foreshadowing surrounding his son, who seems to be taking over the business earlier than you'd expect. Eventually it reveals he has cancer, and if you watch through the end credits there's a dedication in his memory.

George is perhaps the loudest of the bunch, and probably the most like you'd imagine someone who spends their Decembers managing Christmas tree lots in New York. The documentary portrays him as likeable, but simple and direct. Whether that's an accurate depiction is anyone's guess (editing of course tends to flatten people into two-dimensional caricatures), but he comes off as something of a s '90s sitcom staple. His main arc (to the extent he has one) centers on finding love, and this mainly happens off-camera.

The family running Uptown Christmas Trees is more endearing. Like Greg, the couple who have been at the helm for decades (five decades, in their case) is retiring and passing the torch to their daughter, Ciree, who describes how she struggled with opioid addiction before returning to help with the family business. The contrast between the aging owners' warm, folksy exteriors and the pride in which they announce their motto, "Sell the fucking trees," is great.

Lastly, there's Heather of NYC Tree Lady, who also runs a shop specializing in hot sauce and exotic meats. The documentary struggles to summarize her personality - it doesn't help that she looks a lot like Ciree and (reading between the lines) has a similar background. Her personality is a little more outgoing, however: she's quick to give orders at her workers, but also seems to genuinely care about those around her (or at the very least she's smart enough to play to the camera).

There's a fifth figure who doesn't actually appear in the documentary, outside of a few calls featuring his voice. Kevin Hammer is somewhat infamous among those profiled as the biggest tree lot manager in the region. He's sort of introduced as a potential villain due to his cutthroat business practices, but - as is usually the case in real life - this is at least somewhat mitigated when we learn he offered a few concessions to the other sellers over the course of the season (such as trading lots with Greg). Still, he comes across as a mysterious, paranoid figure operating from the shadows... which is of course a fun addition in its own right.

The documentary doesn't feature much of a narrative, of course, but instead follows its subjects as they prepare through the year, run their business over the holiday season, and ultimately celebrate. There are also sequences intercut throughout showcasing New York's diversity and character, though this is more present as flavor than as a study of the area. The focus always returns to the owners and their families. Still, there's enough of the city to make me nostalgic for the Christmases I spent there.

I also learned a little about the business, though - again - that's really peripheral to what the documentary is about. Fortunately, the subjects they selected are plenty interesting enough to fill the ninety-minute runtime. This one's absolutely worth watching, particularly if you're looking for a break from the typical holiday movie.