Oh Christmas Tree!

6.2/10 · 2,694 ratings20131h 27mChristmasWeirdness 4/10Bingo card

Where to watch

Search Amazon.com

Amazon

Search Amazon.com for this title. Availability varies by country.

Search Amazon.com

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The premise

After a woman unexpectedly loses her job, she must work at her family's Christmas-tree lot to make ends meet during the holiday season.

How unusual is it?

Middle of the road, with a twist — Santa himself keeps it from being totally by-the-book.

Who’s in it

Behind the camera

Show

Wait, what?

The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

  • The father's injury is caused by a 40-pound frozen turkey falling on his foot.
  • The love interest buys three entire Christmas trees for a single apartment just to talk to the protagonist.
  • The protagonist's 'gritty' backstory involves living in a trailer on a Manhattan sidewalk every December.
  • A corporate interview that turns into a request for industrial espionage.

Every trope, all in one place

Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 31 to find more movies that do the same thing.

Why we’d put this one on

Sarah Lancaster plays a marketing executive who gets fired and dumped on the same day, then has to run her family's Christmas tree lot on a Manhattan sidewalk after her father breaks his leg. The cause of that injury is a 40-pound frozen turkey landing on his foot, which is exactly the energy this movie brings. Eric Johnson is the charming teacher love interest, who buys three entire Christmas trees for one apartment just to keep talking to her. Whose Line regular Colin Mochrie turns up too. At a 6.3 it is a warm, slightly oddball redemption story about a Grinch rediscovering the season. Easy to enjoy with eggnog.

How it all plays out

Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

Full story (spoilers)
Elise MacReynolds is a career-focused marketing professional in New York City who has spent years distancing herself from her family's Christmas tree farm in Skaneateles. Her holiday begins disastrously when her boss, Malcolm, fires her for lacking 'passion,' and her boyfriend, Lance, breaks up with her immediately after taking her accounts. Simultaneously, her father, Hank, breaks his leg when a forty-pound frozen turkey falls on his foot, leaving her mother, Betty, and cousin, Shane, desperate for help running their annual Manhattan tree lot. Elise reluctantly agrees to live in the family's cramped trailer and sell trees on the sidewalk to save the family's mortgage. The lot is located in front of Brook Glen, a new flagship furniture store managed by the cold-hearted Gary Dixon, who views the lot as a 'hulking eyesore' and vows to use legal loopholes to remove it. During her first days on the lot, Elise meets Darren Foster, a local teacher who repeatedly buys trees just to spend time with her. Despite her 'dating hiatus,' Darren wins her over with a charming ice skating date where he admits he's never skated before. As the conflict with Gary Dixon escalates—including a fuse blowout that darkens his store—Elise tries to maintain her professional dignity, even walking out of a job interview with a competitor when she realizes they only want her to leak corporate secrets. The tension peaks when Gary Dixon successfully files a fire hazard complaint, leading the FDNY to shut down the lot and confiscate the trees on Christmas Eve. Heartbroken, Elise discovers Gary's secret: he visits a memorial tree for his late wife, Noelle, who loved Christmas and gardening. Elise confronts him at the memorial, not with anger, but with empathy for his loss. Moved by her kindness and the memory of his wife's spirit, Gary has a change of heart. He uses his political connections with the Deputy Mayor to reopen the lot as a 'Winter Wonderland' and offers Elise a marketing position at Brook Glen. The film concludes with the family lot having its most successful year ever, the birth of a friend's baby named Noelle, and Elise and Darren sharing a romantic moment over 'gift shop' ornaments and Chinese takeout.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    Elise is fired from her marketing job and dumped by her boyfriend Lance on the same day her father is incapacitated by a 40-pound turkey.

  2. Inciting Incident

    Elise reluctantly takes over the family's Manhattan tree lot and immediately enters a legal battle with the Grinch-like CEO Gary Dixon.

  3. Midpoint

    Elise goes on an ice skating date with Darren, a teacher who has been buying multiple trees just to talk to her.

  4. Climax

    Gary Dixon has the tree lot shut down by the fire department, but Elise discovers his late wife's memorial and convinces him to embrace the holiday spirit.

  5. Resolution

    The lot is reopened as a Winter Wonderland, Elise gets a new job at Brook Glen, and she starts a relationship with Darren.

31 tropes in one movie

We counted 31 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

How it stacks up

Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

Rating 6.2 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.2567

Higher-rated than 28% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Oh Christmas Tree! belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Lines worth quoting

The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

  • “Every year you exhaust yourselves selling those Christmas trees.”
    — Elise MacReynoldsElise complaining to her parents about their annual tradition.
  • “I'm sure the bank will understand when we're late with the mortgage.”
    — Hank MacReynoldsElise's father using guilt to get her to help with the lot.
  • “Mistletotally uncool.”
    — ShaneShane reacting to Elise's awkward interaction with Darren.
  • “I don't think you're listening. I'm listening. I listen. Listen, that's me listening.”
    — Elise MacReynoldsElise desperately trying to keep her job at the shoe company.

Meet the characters

Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

  • Elise MacReynolds

    Lead

    Marketing Executive / Tree Seller

    AmbitiousChristmas-cynicalResilientHardworking
  • Darren Foster

    Love interest

    Teacher

    Romantic interest who buys three trees to get her attention.

    PersistentCharmingPatientCommunity-minded
  • Gary Dixon

    Antagonist

    CEO of Brook Glen

    Corporate adversary who eventually becomes her employer.

    ColdLegalisticGrievingDemanding
  • Shane

    Supporting

    Tree Farmer

    Cousin and co-worker at the tree lot.

    LoyalBluntHardworking
  • Lance Pinfeld

    Supporting

    Marketing Executive

    Ex-boyfriend who stole her accounts.

    OpportunisticSelf-centeredArrogant

Questions people ask about Oh Christmas Tree!

Where can I watch Oh Christmas Tree!?

Oh Christmas Tree! is available via Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel, Hoopla, and Tubi TV. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is Oh Christmas Tree!?

Oh Christmas Tree! runs about 1 hour and 27 minutes, and was released in 2013.

Is Oh Christmas Tree! a Christmas movie?

Yes. Oh Christmas Tree! is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.

Browse all movies

If you liked this one, you’ll probably like these. The chips show what they have in common.

A Grandpa for Christmas poster

A Grandpa for Christmas

6.7

2007 · Christmas

  • Christmas
  • Thanksgiving
  • Big City
Holiday Hotline poster

Holiday Hotline

6.7

2023 · Thanksgiving

  • Christmas
  • Thanksgiving
  • Big City
Love Always, Santa poster

Love Always, Santa

6.4

2016 · Thanksgiving

  • Christmas
  • Thanksgiving
  • Cute Kid
Tis the Season for Love poster

Tis the Season for Love

6.1

2015 · Christmas

  • Sarah Lancaster
  • Christmas
  • Cute Kid

Talking Hallmark

Love talking about these as much as watching them?

So do we. Come hang out on the Talking Hallmark channel, where we dig into movies just like this one, episode after episode.

Watch the latest episode
This Hallmark Christmas movie is aggressively stupid

“This Hallmark Christmas movie is aggressively stupid”

Data and sources

HallmarkDB catalogue. How we research filmsData refreshed .

Search JustWatch for current viewing options.

Sources:IMDbTMDB