Celia Aniskovich: I first discovered this world after reading an article in New York Magazine called “Secrets of the Tree Trade” by Owen Long. I love Christmas, and I love New York, and I knew immediately this was a story I wanted to tell.

MM: I think the one Christmas tree merchant Heather briefly mentions COVID in the doc. Did any of these families talk about how they kept things going during that year?

CA: Surprisingly, 2020 was actually one of their best years on record. With so many people stuck at home, getting a Christmas tree became one of the few joyful, safe activities they could still do. It offered a bit of comfort in an incredibly difficult time.

MM: How were you able to be everywhere around NYC watching these businesses?

CA: That was definitely the hardest part. We filmed for 40 days throughout 2023 — most of them between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when we were shooting almost daily. Most days it was just one small crew: me, a camera, and sound. But on big days (Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, or busy weekends), we ran two crews. We were constantly racing around the city from stand to stand, capturing hundreds of hours of footage. While I’m glad it seems like we were everywhere at once, in reality it often felt like we were just chasing our own tails!

MM: Kevin Hammer is the elusive merchant in the film who refuses to be on camera, but everyone talks about him (and he does voiceover). I thought maybe he would turn out to be a villain, but he’s really just a quirky character. Did you ever meet him in person?

CA: I never met Kevin in person, though he was incredibly generous with his time on the phone. We talked about all kinds of things, not just Christmas. I tried to convince him to meet in person, but ultimately it wasn’t something he wanted to do. I promise he’s real, though — other sellers have seen him in the flesh and can confirm! I sometimes think of Kevin as a kind of Grinch figure. He may have a bit of “bah humbug” in him, but I genuinely believe he loves Christmas just as much as the rest of us.

MM: There are obviously Christmas tree sellers all across the country. Have you shown the film to people outside NYC yet?

CA: Now that it’s streaming on Amazon, people all over the world have seen it. Just yesterday, Little Greg told me someone from Puerto Rico called out of the blue to say they’d watched the film. I think people connect to the tree-selling aspect, of course, but even more to the people at the heart of the story. In many ways, New York City’s Christmas is the world’s Christmas, so audiences everywhere can find something to enjoy.

MM: I feel like I finally understand what a Christmas tree guy is. They’re kind of hippie-esque. Have you looked at them differently after hearing that woman’s song?

CA: To me, a Christmas tree guy, if he’s doing his job right, is so much more than the “hot guy” the song describes. He’s a purveyor of magic. But the moment I heard that song, I knew it had to be in the film. There’s so much humor inherent in being a tree salesman, and you need that humor if you’re going to stand outside for 16 hours a day in the freezing cold for weeks on end. That song was just one of many things I heard, saw, and learned that made me look at them in a totally new way.

The Merchants of Joy is streaming on Amazon Prime.