FESTIVAL OF TREES

FESTIVAL OF TREES is a Christmas movie streaming on UP Faith & Family that tells the story of a professional designer who learns that the holiday season is about more than corporate greed. Jacqueline has been working to build her design studio for years but has always been overshadowed in her small town by Alice, a rival designer who hit it big. This year, Jacqueline looks to break into the public eye by outshining her rival at the town’s Festival of Trees, finally establishing herself as a serious designer.

To really set herself apart at the festival, Jacqueline attempts to receive a corporate sponsor from a major local business—Lowery and Sons. After a meeting with the owner, Jacqueline believes she has his support locked down, which would allow her to have the proper funding to design her dream tree inspired by the extravagance of King Louis XIV. However, her support from Lowery and Sons is stripped away when Alice receives their sponsorship instead.

Discouraged but determined, Jacqueline’s ability to compete in the festival is further impaired when she gets a call from the event chairwoman, who informs her that her design has been rejected due to plagiarism. The chairwoman asserts she has the same design plan as another contestant who submitted their design earlier than Jacqueline. Therefore, she has until noon the next day to submit a new design if she wants to compete this year.

Feeling extremely distraught, Jacqueline flounders to find inspiration for a new design. First, she goes to a local tree farm to see if she can get inspiration there. She storms off, however, when the man who helps her, Brandon, insults her by reminding her that Christmas is not about the decorations but about the people we spend it with.

The next place Jacqueline goes for inspiration is the local children’s hospital, which receives the proceeds from the festival. She feels hopeless as she sits in front of a tree at the hospital, but her luck changes when a child staying at the hospital, Rachel, tells her she likes to make drawings that include people’s favorite things. Jacqueline realizes she can decorate a tree with ornaments made up of the favorite things of the children staying in the hospital.

Jacqueline’s design was accepted this time, and she and her assistant, Heather, got to work on the ornaments. First, they interview the children at the hospital before working to make their dream a reality. Jacqueline’s heart toward Christmas also changes, and she goes back to the tree farm to see Brandon; at the same time, she buys a tree for herself and has the farm deliver it to her house. It turns out Brandon is also the delivery driver, and after he drops off the tree, Jacquline asks him to drink some cider and go on a walk with her.

As they walk, they talk about Christmas, why Brandon loves it so much, and why Jacqueline is lukewarm about it. By the end of the walk, they’re in love, but then Brandon gets a call from what seems to be his wife, cutting things short.

The next day, Jacqueline returns to the hospital to show Rachel her ornament. Rachel loves it and can’t believe how pretty it is. As Jacqueline is leaving, Rachel’s father comes in, and it just so happens to be Brandon. He clears the air with Jacqueline that the person he spoke to the night before was Rachel and that his wife died a long time ago. With permission to let her feelings flow again, Jacquline asks Brandon if he will accompany her to the Festival of Trees Gala.

Soon after, Jacqueline and Heather arrive at the event space to set up their tree. After a long day of work, they have a completed project about which they are over the moon. As they quickly tour the work of their competitors, they find out that Alice stole their Louis XIV idea and has set up an extremely extravagant tree. Jacquline, however, is undisturbed and is happy she had to come up with a new concept because Alice’s tree seems cold and soulless compared to theirs.

The next night is the Festival of Trees, and when Jacqueline and Brandon arrive, there is already a massive crowd around Jacqueline’s tree. She’s one of the favorites and is in line to win the event. However, it hits her that every tree is bid on in an auction, and the winner gets to take it home – a major problem for Jacqueline, who promised all the kids they could have their respective ornaments. She’s torn up and no longer cares about winning the festival. However, Heather and Brandon console her, promising her that everything will turn out.

As the awards are announced, Jacqueline is declared the winner to the shock of many, and in her acceptance speech, she reminds everyone that Christmas is about the people we spend it with. Jacqueline goes down to the hospital the following day to find her tree there—one of the doctors put in the winning bid so the children could still take their ornaments. Jacqueline also receives calls from multiple new clients excited to work with her after seeing her design at the Festival of Trees. Finally, she and Brandon get together, and Rachel invites Jacqueline to their house for a movie night.

FESTIVAL OF TREES is a well-made movie that teaches that Christmas is about more than corporate greed. Jacqueline learns there are more important things than winning or losing a competition, which frees her to excel more than she would have otherwise. The movie focuses on the spirit of Christmas, spending time with family, and being kind to others. There is little questionable content in the movie, other than light drinking and two jokes about drugs so MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for young children.