‘They give up their holiday so others can celebrate’: Doc spotlights unsung Christmas tree vendors of NYC

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Tuesday, December 09, 2025

For years, filmmaker Celia Aniskovich walked past the sidewalk Christmas tree stands that appear overnight across Manhattan each December without giving them much thought.

Like many New Yorkers, she accepted the magical transformation: one day empty corners, the next filled with Christmas trees, as just another seasonal inevitability. 

It wasn’t until a 2022 Epic Magazine feature titled “Secrets of the Tree Trade” crossed her path, forwarded by her mother, that her curiosity about who, exactly, was behind the evergreens was stirred.

“People kept telling me, ‘This is so you; it’s New York, it’s Christmas, it’s a look behind the curtain,’” Aniskovich told The Christian Post. “I tell a lot of stories that are hiding in plain sight, and suddenly I found one right in my backyard.”

That article ultimately inspired “The Merchants of Joy,” her documentary now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, which follows a small group of families who dominate New York City’s Christmas tree business — street vendors whose entire annual income depends on roughly 15 days of sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Aniskovich’s background in storytelling comes through an unusual academic path. She studied philosophy and theology at Fordham University, earning a concentration in American Catholic studies before pursuing filmmaking.

“People always ask how you go from theology to film,” she said. “But to me, theology is also the study of stories, why we tell them and how they bring people together and build community.”

That perspective shaped her approach to “The Merchants of Joy.” Though the subject seems niche, Aniskovich said the story quickly revealed universal themes of community, sacrifice, resilience and faith.

“Asking someone to share their personal story is an enormous ask,” she said. “Whether it's a story of hardship, joy, faith or struggle, I take that responsibility very seriously.”

Those commitments are evident in the film’s intimate portrayal of vendors, including Gregory Walsh (“Big Greg”) and his son, George Schmidt, Heather Neville of NYC Tree Lady, and Vermont growers Jane Waterman, George Nash, and their daughter Ciree, competitors who jokingly label themselves “frenemies.”

“All of the trees in New York are sold by this small circle of people,” Aniskovich said. “On the one hand, they’re competitors, the only other people in the game. But if you run out of trees or wreaths, who are you going to call? Them. Community means a lot of things; there’s the family you’re born into, and then there’s the family you build and the people you choose. For these vendors, community and tradition are everything.”

The filmmaker stressed that their relationships offer a counterpoint to the wider social divisions present in American culture.

“At a time when we’re more polarized than ever, they’re a reminder that we can still find common ground,” she said. “Our best Christmas memories are never alone; they’re always with others.”

A recurring presence in the film is Kevin Hammer, an unseen competitor whose bidding tactics drive a wedge between vendors and spark tensions onscreen. Hammer declined to appear on camera but agreed to phone interviews, making him a near-mythical presence in the documentary.

“One of the characters calls him the ‘Kaiser Söze of Christmas,’” Aniskovich said. “But I like to think about him more as the Grinch. … His last line in the film is, ‘I don’t like New York City. I love New York City.’ I found a lot of heart in him. Even the bah-humbug people in our lives usually carry their own traditions and joy.”

The film also navigates a delicate balance between the commercialization of Christmas and the humanity that persists beneath it. In a city known for chaotic holiday crowds and relentless selling, Aniskovich said she initially braced for cynicism.

“Spending every day on the streets from Thanksgiving to Christmas, I thought it might wear me down,” she said. “But what happened instead restored my faith in humanity and in New York.”

“We think we want the picture-perfect Hallmark Christmas,” she added. “But what we really want is our own traditions, our imperfect families, the weird foods no one eats but still have to be on the table.”

One of the film’s most moving moments centers on Neville, a former addict with a criminal past, who discovers a homeless man sleeping in her shed.

“We were rolling when she found him,” Aniskovich said. “I was nervous, honestly. I didn’t know what would happen.”

Instead, Neville approached the man with compassion.

“She sat down and told him, ‘You are worthy. You are loved. You deserve a home,’” Aniskovich said. “And then, after that, she stood up and went right back to work. … These people are working-class Americans doing a brutally hard job. But they still take time to care about the people around them.”

The documentary also grapples with heavy moments. During production, Gregory Walsh received the cancer diagnosis documented near the end of the movie, a moment captured just days into filming.

“We knew through the whole journey,” she said. “But he ended up getting an extra year-and-a-half, a Christmas miracle. He passed away earlier this year. He loved to say that ‘anyone can be Santa Claus any day we choose.’ I try to live more like that now.”

Since completing the documentary, Aniskovich said she can no longer walk past a tree stand without thinking about the cost behind the cheer. Christmas tree sellers, she stressed, see their work as a vocation and, in some cases, a calling from God. Vendors often remain on the streets through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, missing family celebrations to serve holiday customers.

“They have about 15 days to make their living for the entire year,” she said. “They stand out there rain or snow, and they sacrifice something most people forget about, their own Christmas.”

Through “The Merchants of Joy,” Aniskovich said she hopes viewers are encouraged to slow down during the Christmas season and rediscover the humanity behind the holiday. It’s the acts of compassion, she emphasized, that make the celebration possible.

“They don’t go home so the rest of us can celebrate,” she said. “They give up their Christmas to bring Christmas to everyone else. At its heart, it’s about people choosing compassion and community in everyday work.”

“The Merchants of Joy” is now streaming on Amazon Prime.