Festival of Trees (2024)

[bunniefuu]

(Festive holiday music plays)

- And we're back in five, four...

- You are watching Atlanta's

number one morning show

with Colin Moore and Cindy Shepherd.

- Welcome back to Wake Up

with Atlanta. This morning,

we have been chatting about

exciting holiday events

happening all over the city.

- We sure have.

Now, we've been experiencing

colder weather here in the

metro area, so it's time

to turn up the temperature

on your holiday cheer

Because we are only two

weeks away from that event

that we've all been waiting for.

That's right, folks.

We are counting down to

the Festival of Trees!

- Even better, the money

raised from this year's tree

auction benefits our very own Children's

Healthcare of Atlanta.

- That's fantastic, isn't it, folks?

I mean, it just makes the festival

that much more magical.

- It does. Now, you know, some

of the city's top designers

have actually been discovered

through their beautiful

creations

like Kandrac and Cole.

And even with all the festive cheer,

there can be some pretty

fierce competition.

- Well, we have the

privilege of having one

of those designers here

in studio with us today,

and this designer is no stranger

to the Southeast design scene.

We have with us today, folks,

the talented, incredible Alice Stewart.

- Hello!

- Alice Stewart. Wow.

- I mean.

- Welcome to the show.

- We are such huge fans!

- And I'm very happy to be here.

- Well, it's no secret

that you have dominated this festival.

You've won the coveted grand prize an

incredible eight times.

- You really are amazing.

- Well, I find the

holidays very inspiring.

You know, the, the essence

of the holiday spirit

invokes such creativity.

(Jacquie scoffs)

- I speak for both of us.

We cannot wait to see what

you're gonna dazzle us

with this year.

- Oh, now, Colin, you know,

I can't divulge any details of the design.

- Darn it.

(laughter)

- Oh, no.

- We're gonna

get it outta you.

Well, I will say that

if you are one of the up

and coming designers hoping

to take part this year,

then this astounding lady

right here is the one to beat.

- What happened to 9:45?

- Sorry. Holiday traffic.

- Hey, you live two blocks away. Coffee.

- Oh, you have no idea how

much I love you right now.

Oh, it's cold.

- I know how it

feels.

- I said I was sorry.

- Okay. Apology accepted.

Apology accepted.

Checklist, portfolio?

- Check. - Design sketch. -

Double check. - Okay. That's it.

- How are we for time?

- Five minutes.

- All right. What are we

standing here in the cold for?

Hi, Jacqueline Miller, here

to see Mr. Lowery.

- Miller. Miller.

There you are.

If you'd like to have a seat,

Mr. Lowery will be with you in

a few minutes.

- Okay. Thank you.

- Okay. Remember, you're

young, you're hungry.

What you lack in experience, you make up

for tenfold in enthusiasm and raw talent.

With your eye for vintage design and Mr.

Lowery's corporate sponsorship,

you will be... unstoppable.

Also, I have been thinking

of moving to Dublin

to teach Irish dancing with Bono.

Jacquie! - Yeah, yeah.

Sorry. Sorry, just. - Sorry.

- Have you seen the style of this office?

I mean, if this is his taste?

- Oh my God.

It's like Wayne Newton and

Hugh Hefner threw up in here.

- Yeah. - You are not here

to decorate his office.

- Yes. - You are looking for

a Christmas tree sponsor.

This is just a PR thing for him.

Not that he couldn't use the

help otherwise.

- Ms. Miller, Mr. Lowery

will see you now. - Okay.

I'll just, right. Show myself.

Yeah. - Okay. Go get him. I'll

just be here singing Danke

Schoen until you're done.

Hmm.

This is a lovely space you

have here. It's very cozy.

I like it.

- Ms. Miller, what a pleasure to meet you.

- Mr. Lowery, hi.

- Please call me John.

My father was "Mr. Lowery".

- I, I'll one sec.

Okay. Just gonna,

there just

very, very big chairs.

- So the Festival of Trees. - Yes.

- Ah, such a wonderful event, isn't it?

- It is. I've been attending

every year since I was a kid.

- And your agency is looking

for corporate sponsorship, am I right?

- We are. We're a very small agency,

but we have great style and we work hard.

I have built this agency

from the ground up,

and as I'm sure you saw

when looking into us,

we have only five star reviews.

- So I've heard.

- Yeah.

I think that our unique

approach to design coupled

with the fact that we are up and coming

and hardworking, makes us a really great

fit for Lowery and Lowe.

- Oh, please continue, Ms. Miller.

- Okay. Well, I think the

best thing for me to do is

to let my work speak for itself,

and I will show you our design

concept for the festival.

So the theme of this year's Festival

of Trees is "A Very Vintage Christmas".

- Very elegant,

- Thank you, Mr. Lowery.

It is, I'm not gonna lie,

a very expensive statement.

I took my inspiration from the King

of Couture himself, Louis the XIV.

I think that the concept

of classical elegance,

it's really in keeping

with the whole image of Lowery and Lowe.

- Hmm.

I like

how you say classical

elegance rather than old,

(awkward laughter)

I must say I'm impressed with your work.

You have a bright future ahead

of you. Of that, I am sure.

- Thank you, Mr. Lowery. That is,

that's very kind of you to say.

- And if it were solely my decision,

I would grant you our

sponsorship right now.

However, I have others who

like to sign off on these

sorts of things, publicists and whatnot.

- Of course. Yeah, no,

that's understandable.

If there's anything else that I can do to,

to help you make a decision,

then just, uh, please let me know.

- Well, actually, if you

could leave this with me,

I think it would go a

long way toward helping

them make their decision.

- Of course.

No problem.

- Splendid. Thank you, Ms. Miller.

- Yes, thank you.

- Someone from our

office will be in touch.

- Okay. Thank you.

Okay.

- Okay. How did it go?

- I think it went well.

- Okay, you think it went well or,

you know, it went well?

- I mean, I'm not sure.

- Oh, well that

sounds like my dating life.

- Well, maybe because of your

sparkling personality. - Okay.

It takes a special man to

handle a confident woman.

My point is, you need to put

that positive energy out there.

So let's try again. How

did it go? - It went great.

- Are you sure? I don't want

you to get your hopes up.

- Heather you're impossible. You are

impossible. - Well.

- No, I do, I actually

do think it went well.

I mean, he liked my design

at least. - Okay. Alright.

Yeah, that's awesome. - What's on the

schedule for the rest of the day?

Okay, well, well obviously

there's the festival committee

meeting tonight at six.

Otherwise, you are reviewing tile

and countertop samples for

the Sweet Peach Cafe at 12:30.

- Okay. - At one, I'm eating a slice

of cheesecake from the cafe.

And that is, and that's

followed by... ooh!

A 3:30 color board presentation

for none other than Jim Price.

- Mr. Price. Fantastic.

That's today? - Yep.

(Jacquie groans)

(slow, plodding music plays)

(Heather makes a 'tick tock' noise)

- Ow!

- If it helps, Mr. Price, I think

that the blue palette has

a very nice, calming effect.

- I, I never really was a big fan of blue.

- Okay, well let's just

eliminate that one. Blue is done.

How about a more natural palette?

It's very popular right

now. Sort of farmhouse chic,

- No farmhouse stuff

that Waco couple gets on

my last nerve.

- How d--

- Daring.

is this next color

palette, bold pops of red,

very playful.

Like you?

- No red. It's too flashy.

- Okay. We could do bold pops of green.

- And not green either.

- Okay. So that's no red, green, blue,

or farmhouse, which still leaves

us with plenty of options.

- And no purple or orange or yellow

and black doesn't work for me either.

- Okay. So that is no red,

green, blue, yellow, orange,

purple or black.

How about white?

- Get's too dirty.

- Yes, of course. Of course it does.

So why don't you give us a

couple of days to come up

with some more options

based on your preferences.

Did you get all that

Heather? - I sure did.

- Okay, great. So we'll just

head back to the drawing board

- Next time.

I hope to see something

a little more creative.

- Of course. Thank you so much for coming

by today, Mr. Price.

- We need new clients.

- Bet Alice Stewart doesn't

have to deal with this stuff.

Still no word from Mr. Lowery?

- No, it's only been a few hours.

- I just need this win so bad.

(Festive music plays)

- Okay, so where do you

wanna sit? - Anywhere is fine.

- There's some seats right back here.

- Oh, no, not the back. - Uh, the middle?

There's two seats right there. - I know,

but what, what if I have to pee?

- Okay. Okay. How about up front?

- Does the front seem maybe

a little obvious? - Okay.

So when you said anywhere...

Listen, we're here now.

So we either take a seat or do the walk

of shame all the way back

to where we came from.

- We'll sit. - Alright. - This is perfect.

- Oh no.

(A sick beat plays)

(Roger clears throat)

- Oh, hold on a second.

What's the hold up?

- These two obviously can't read. Hi.

These seats are reserved.

- There's some seats in the back next

to the restrooms if you want those.

- So your name gets printed

on a sheet of paper

and that gives you authority?

- It's laminated. - And? - And

you're still sitting here.

- Alice, it's nice to see you again.

- It's Jacqueline. right? - Yeah.

It's been Jacqueline all 10

years we've known each other.

- Oh. Oh, well nice to see you. (sighs)

Are you still interning at the Academy?

- No. No. That was eight years ago.

- Eight years.

You don't say. Where does the time go?

- Well, we saw each other not

that long ago at the Touch

of Class Gala. Remember?

- Oh, I, I go to a lot of

galas. Slovan is calling!

- Why do you need to

reserve an entire row?

- Alice Stewart does not need

to explain herself to you.

- Oh, she doesn't? - No. - You know what?

We'll move. - There's three of them.

- Just move. - You should

listen to your friend.

- Just... okay, Boris and Natasha.

- God, she's amazing. I heard

she gets inspiration by spending

entire days in meditative isolation.

- Have you seen the new

lobby that she did for the St.

Everly Hotel?

- Let's go.

- They're saying that it's better than

anything else in the city.

- Oh, pick that up, Darling. I

just dropped.

- Did you tell him I said hello?

- No, no, no. There's no time

for that. We're talking deals.

(door slams)

- Ow! - Sorry.

- Perfect.

- Look at her up there.

- Hmm. - Like she is so

much better than everyone.

- Yeah, of course

she needs the front row.

It's the only thing that

fits her massive ego.

I should have said that to her.

- It's good.

- It is.

- Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

(applause)

- Okay, Marina. Uh,

Darling, lemme call you back.

- I want to thank all of you

for participating in this

year's Festival of Trees.

I believe that this year

will be the best one yet.

(applause)

- Yay! - Oh, geez, no.

Before we go any further,

designers, you have

until midnight tomorrow to

submit your concept for approval.

Once the exhibition hall

opens, you will have six hours

to complete your visions

before the judging begins.

The trees will then remain on display

for the enjoyment of our community;

leading up to our Festival of Trees Gala,

where we will have our silent auction

to benefit Children's

Healthcare of Atlanta.

(applause)

as well as

our award ceremony.

This is your chance to show our community

what you are capable of.

Be creative, be flamboyant, be fabulous,

make a statement, tell a story.

But above all else, our goal is

to capture the true spirit

of the Christmas season. To help...

- God, this gets

longer every year.

- our community to, to inspire

others to, to give back

through this amazing event.

(applause)

I want to thank you all again

for participating in this

year's Festival of Trees

and good luck!

(applause)

(Playful holiday music)

- Oh yeah. This one matches.

- Can I get in there?

- Phoebe, right? Hi.

You shopping for the

festival? - Obviously.

What are you doing here?

- Same thing as you.

- Oh wait, you actually shop

for your own materials?

How adorable. Where's

your little helper girl?

- Well, my assistant, Heather,

is doing other things

that we needed to get done this morning.

- Oh, well I don't blame

you, from the looks of her

I wouldn't trust that girl

with my breakfast order.

- Okay, well good to see you.

I'm gonna get back to it.

- Oh, so you've heard back

from the committee then?

- No, but I'm expecting a

call from them any second.

- Oh really? - Why have you heard already?

- Oh, well, we got

confirmation immediately

after we did our submission.

You know, the Chairman actually

called Ms. Stewart directly.

But you know, they have a

very close relationship.

- Yes, of course.

- No, I'm sure you'll get like

an email or something soon.

So you've locked down a sponsor then?

- Yes, we did. We have a sponsor.

It's... we're still working

on a couple of details,

but it's basically a done deal.

So the answer is yes.

- Well, I will tell you

ours if you tell me yours.

- I don't feel like I

should be talking about

it just yet, so...

- Party pooper. I mean,

you haven't even heard

back from the committee.

I just, I don't understand

how you're staying so calm.

- Well, know what? I'm feeling

really good about it, so

thanks. Bye.

- Good for you. Chin up.

Well, you know what?

I gotta get back to it.

- Okay. - Lowery and Lowe are

expecting an update from

Alice.

- Sorry, what did you say?

You said something about...

- Oops, I guess the cat's outta the bag.

John Lowery is our festival sponsor.

He's very eager to have Alice

Stewart representing him,

as you can imagine.

Well, I must dash.

Good luck.

Hi.

Excuse me. You clearly

know what you're doing

and I am woefully outta my depths in here.

I was just wondering, could you maybe

help me find an ornament?

I need to find something special.

- Lemme stop you right there. Okay, I

am a professional designer.

I do this for a living,

okay? So my time is valuable.

You know what? Here. You can

have the whole basket

because I'm sure there's

something in there

that would look great on the tree of, of,

a... construction worker.

- Somebody's having a bad day. Okay, then.

Actually,

Excuse me.

Excuse me, miss? How

much is this little guy?

- Hey, boss lady.

They didn't have anything

at Seasonal Designs?

- Lowery's out. - Out?

What do you mean out?

- I mean, it's not happening.

- But he loved you.

- That's what I thought.

- Well, do we know

for sure? We can do another sketch or,

or change his mind somehow?

What did he say? - He didn't say anything.

- Well, then don't be so negative.

I'm sure he'll call soon.

He seemed really on board with

sponsoring a tree this year.

- Oh, he's sponsoring a tree.

- Well, who's

no.

How do you know?

- Because I ran into Phoebe.

- Well, are you sure she

wasn't just saying that

to get a rise out of you?

- Yes. She didn't even know

that I was interviewing with him.

She just, she let it slip

and... - Well, this blows.

sh**t! - Everything is a mess. Everything.

- Lots of folks do the

festival without a sponsor.

- They don't win.

- Okay. Well,

how about Morton and Miller?

They've sponsored before.

- Taken

- Apotheos Roastery? - Taken

- The Peaceful Plumber?

You gotta admit toilets and

tinsel has a ring to it.

- (Jacquie groans)

(muffled sounds)

- I'm sorry. I actually have

no idea what you just said.

Can we lose the pillow please?

- Have we heard from the committee?

- Not yet, but they said we may not hear

until end of day.

Come here.

Come here.

- What do we do now? - We get coffee.

The fumes in here are

making me dizzy

and not in a good way.

- Yeah. - We can go to The Lazy Labrador.

They have a new holiday flavor.

Coconut praline, something

like that. Come on.

I will even buy you a muffin.

- White chocolate raspberry?

- Okay,

This was maybe a mistake.

Okay. One raspberry muffin.

And look at these, two snow-caccinos.

Snow-caccinos?

- Okay, Mrs. Grinch,

just eat your muffin.

- Have you refreshed your emails?

Is there anything from the committee

- Twice since we sat down,

okay? Relax.

- The committee's calling.

- Should they be calling?

- I don't think they're supposed to call.

Someone's gotta answer it. Answer it.

I can't answer my own phone.

- Shhh.

- Hello? Jacqueline Miller Designs.

- This is Francis

Appleton, Committee Chair

for the Festival of Trees.

Is Ms. Miller available?

- Oh yes. One moment please.

- Are you?

- What? She wants you!

- What are you doing? I

don't know! She wants you!

- How did she sound? - Like

a Committee Chairman.

- Okay, give it to me.

This is Jacqueline Miller.

- Ms. Miller, I do wish I

were calling with better news,

but unfortunately your

design has been rejected by

the Committee.

- Rejected?

- What? - Why? Did I not

fill out the forms correctly?

I mean, we're still pursuing corporate

sponsorship. We haven't--

- No, no.

Corporate sponsorship is optional.

No, I'm afraid your

submission was rejected

due to plagiarism.

- Plagiarism. What? No,

you must be kidding.

- I wish I was.

- I don't understand. That's not possible.

- Your concept is nearly identical

to another designer's submission.

And since they made their

submission before you,

we have no choice

but to accept that their

design is the original.

- Okay. But I spent months

on this design concept.

I mean, you can't possibly think I stole

it from someone else.

- What?

- Well, perhaps plagiarism

is not the right term,

Ms. Miller. But however

you choose to look at it,

we simply cannot have two

nearly identical

designs in this festival.

Now, if you choose to submit

a new concept by midnight,

the Committee has ample time to review

and accept your submission

- By Midnight?

That's not enough time.

- I suppose I could extend

the deadline to noon tomorrow.

- Oh, noon tomorrow.

That's, that's still

not enough time. - Oh,

we hope you choose to

participate in our festival.

I'll keep an eye out

for your new submission.

- Thank you, ma'am.

- A whole new design

concept in 24 hours.

(Heather speaks with her mouth full)

- We can do it. - We don't

even have a sponsor.

Like, how are we gonna do

this without any new income?

- No, no. We can do this.

A Very Vintage Christmas.

What else signifies vintage?

You have clothes, you have cars, handbags.

You have old people.

Hmm. - Oh, I just wanted

to make a statement.

- You know what's more vintage

than anything? - What?

- Dinosaurs.

- No. - A dinosaur tree

would make a statement.

We could even have little

cutouts of Chris Pratt.

He's hot. - Okay. No more coffee for you.

- Okay. Gimme a minute. Let's just,

Look up the

definition of vintage.

- Oh, okay. - Vintage.

A seasons yield of wine from a vineyard

or alternatively the oldness of wines.

Oh, we are clearly working

off of the beverage here.

- Okay, let's zoom out. A

Festival

of Trees.

It's a festival event

with trees.

- It is. That's good. - Vintage. Vintage.

Vintage. A Very Vintage

Christmas. Vintage is old,

valuable, meaningful,

glamorous, antique, fashionable,

elegant, Louis the XIV Couture.

Why don't we always go there?

Oh, okay. I have nothing.

- Okay. Well, what about

the hospital charity?

Is there anything you

can do with that? - No.

There's nothing less elegant

and fashionable than a hospital.

No. Maybe if we dig deeper

into European royalty,

there's gotta be something there.

What?

(Heather gasps)

What? What are you doing?

- You need a reboot. - Where are we

going? - To get some inspiration!

- I think that's pretty good.

Awesome. Well, thank you guys.

Thanks. It's nice meeting

you. I'll see you next year,

Mike. Cool. Merry Christmas.

Hey guys, how are you?

- Is any of this sparking an

idea in that brain of yours?

- Looks good. I'll see you

guys soon. Thank you.

- It is definitely less elegant.

We just need one idea,

one atom to explode into life.

I have seen you work. You

can do this. Look.

- Okay.

- Well look

what we have here.

A professional designer

coming to our little lot.

To what do I owe the honor?

- We're just looking.

- Do you two know each other?

- No. - Not exactly.

But I did find a really nice

ornament this morning in

case you were worried about me.

- I'm Heather

- Brandon. It's nice to meet you.

And I don't believe we

were formally introduced.

- Hi, I'm Jacqueline Miller. Hi.

And I'm sorry this morning

I was, I'm sorry.

- It's no worries.

No worries. I may not be as

good as an artist as you,

but I do have a pretty good eye

for Christmas trees. What

can I help you girls with?

- We are looking for some inspiration.

- For a tree?

- For the Festival of Trees.

- Oh, that's actually a pretty

big deal. What's your theme?

- Well, up until earlier

today, it was the extravagance

and opulence of Louis the XIV.

Why are you smiling?

You think that's funny?

- Oh, you were serious. Sorry. I just,

I didn't really understand

a word you just said.

- Okay. Well, that's insulting. Goodbye.

- I, I'm kidding. Come

on, stay here. Hold on.

Look, I didn't mean to insult you.

It's just all that fancy,

pantsy stuff might go

down well in your world,

but I can promise you, to every

hardworking family buying

their trees on this lot,

it just doesn't mean anything to 'em.

Not really what Christmas is all about.

- Okay, well, why don't you tell me

what is your perfect Christmas tree?

- Well, the perfect Christmas

tree is not made,

it's born. Look at this

family right over here.

They're here making memories.

They're not looking for elegance.

It's not about some overdressed,

commercialized idea of the holiday.

It's, it's about that, right there.

Families coming together,

looking for a tree

to make part of their family,

help tell their story. I

remember when I was a kid,

we went all out. Finding a tree?

Now that was the big event of the season.

We'd have Santa hats and hot chocolate

and looking for that

perfect tree to bring home.

Man, we had so much fun.

My mom, she would, she'd bust out this

old box from the attic.

It was filled with these horrible,

ugly looking handmade ornaments.

But I don't know.

Somehow it just didn't matter

because when we put 'em

up on the tree, they,

they looked like a work of art.

I guess I'm just saying,

Christmas trees are not about

the decorations you put on.

They, well, they're about the

people that put 'em there.

- Okay. Well, that was

a really lovely story.

Thanks for sharing that. We

do actually have a design

deadline, so we're gonna get back.

But we, we so appreciate your

childlike wonder.

Okay, let's go.

- I'll see you guys.

- Mmmm.

Oh, yes.

- Okay. Vintage. Vintage.

What is vintage?

Vintage is, vintage is antique.

Antique. Vintage is classic. Classic.

Traditional. Traditional. Yeah. Okay.

Traditions, family traditions.

What are family traditions?

We've got families. Families

around the Christmas tree.

Yeah. Christmas tree lots.

Hot Christmas tree guy. No.

No. Okay. I have nothing.

I have nothing. Okay.

Okay. It's fine. It's fine.

I'll just, I'll just wait until next year

to be taken seriously as a designer.

Okay. No, there's something

here. There's something here.

You have ideas.

Okay. Let's go to the hospital.

What else are you doing?

(Tense music plays)

(Jacquie sighs)

(Jacquie groans)

Talk to me. I can be inspired.

I can be inspired.

Ow!

Sorry.

Talking to a tree. This is a new low.

- What are you doing on the floor?

- Well, I'm waiting for this

tree to tell me what to do.

- Okay. I think the adult

hospital's on the other side

of town so ya might

wanna (makes a car sound)

on over there.

- No, it's, it's not like that.

I am, I'm looking for inspiration.

- Are you an artist?

- Sort of.

- Could you draw me? Or how

about the pyramids? Or me

on top of a pyramid with the wind blowing

through my hat! Something heroic,

you know?

- I'm, I'm not that type of artist per se.

I, I don't draw people or places.

I design things. I like your hat.

- Oh, thanks. I made it myself.

So what kind of things do you design?

Like clothes and stuff?

You know, when I grow up,

I'd love to be an artist.

I'd paint and draw all the time.

And then that's what I'd give

everybody for Christmas.

A hand-painted picture of

all the things they love.

- Wow. That sounds really nice.

But, you know, what would

you put in your painting?

- Well, since you asked, I

love my dog. I love ballet.

My favorite thing is eating popcorn

and watching movies with my dad.

I write poems. I love feathers

and daisies and silly hats.

The sillier the better.

(Jacquie laughs)

And of course, Christmas trees.

- Wow. That is a lot of things.

Are you sure that you could

fit all that in one picture?

- Of course I could.

- Is everything okay? Wait, what's wrong?

- Nothing. I just keep forgetting.

I'm gonna be stuck here for Christmas.

- Rachel, there you are!

- Sorry, Nana. I just met

this really nice lady.

We're just a couple of

artists having a chat.

- Oh, is that so? - Hi, I'm Jacquie.

- Barbara, or Nana? Depending.

- I'm Rachel.

- Run on back to your room.

It's nearly bedtime.

- Okay. Bye Jacquie.

- Goodnight. Rachel. I'm so sorry.

I didn't realize that it

was getting so late. - Oh, no

need to apologize. It's nice

for her to meet new people.

- Yeah, she is a p*stol.

I hope I'm not

overstepping here,

but Rachel mentioned that

she was gonna be here

for the holidays, and

I just... Is is she okay?

- Rachel has a rare heart condition,

but she's doing much better.

Thank God. - Oh, that's good to hear.

- Well, I'll let you

get back to your work.

I've got a p*stol

of a granddaughter waiting

on some bedtime stories.

Goodnight.

(Inspirational music plays)

- Pick up.

Pick up. Oh,

Jacqueline Miller call

me back immediately.

The deadline was five minutes ago

and I haven't heard from you yet.

And if, if we missed this festival entry,

and I have to go back to working at

that cat portrait studio,

I'm going to k*ll you.

Where have you been?

- Hi. The hospital.

- Is everything okay?

- Oh, no, everything's fine.

I went there last night

for some inspiration. - And?

- And I submitted our new

concept design 10 minutes ago.

- Well, well, what is it, woman? - Okay.

it's called The Memory Tree.

So it's a tree filled with decorations

that encapsulates a child's

imagination and the meaning

and the magic of Christmas.

And we incorporate the, "A

Very Vintage Christmas" theme

by doing handmade ornaments

and vintage toys and,

and just memory making items.

- When did you do all this?

- I didn't sleep. Yeah. Here.

See, each ornament will be based on a

child and what they love most.

This one, this one is for Rachel.

It's an ornament that's

reflective of all the things

that she loves most in this world.

So as you can see, she's

got her dogs and ballet

and Christmas trees

and popcorn and movies.

And it's just everything that she loves.

And, and every ornament will be like that.

You see, they'll all be based

on what one child loves.

And so every child will know

that they had an ornament

specifically made for them.

And so there'll just be,

there'll be this whole tree

and every part of it will be meaningful.

Pretty excited about it.

- Bye George, Eliza...

you did it! This tree,

it's, it's amazing.

It's fun. It's magical.

It's incredible. It's clever. It's

- Gonna win us this competition.

I just need to know one thing.

Heather, are you all in?

- Well, that is literally

what you pay me for. - I know.

I just, I wanted to ask

that. It seemed fun.

Okay, so tomorrow we'll go to the hospital

and we'll finish

interviewing all the kids.

Find out what they like

so that we can put them

into each of these ornaments.

- Oh, well, okay.

Maybe I could do, you know, the shopping

or the errand running or anything else.

Kids aren't really my thing.

I don't think they like me.

Please. - Heather. It'll be fun. Trust me.

It'll be fun. Okay?

Here in the meantime, I, what

we need to do today though,

is we need to sort of start to flesh out

all these ideas that we have here.

So what do you like most about music?

- Well, what I like most about music is

how it makes me feel like I can be happy

and, you know, like dancing or sing along

- Pew Pew! Die enemy.

I challenge you to a duel,

- A sword, and a laser.

You are spanning way too

many centuries, buddy.

Oh, maybe I'll put down that

you like t*rture. That's fair.

That's, that's correct. - Take that!

- I think that takes care of

it. You did great, Jason.

Thank you so much for your time. Jacquie!

- My favorite things are animals.

- Oh, I love that. Do you have any pets?

- But I wanna be a vet and

rescue all the sad animals

because nobody should have to be sad.

- That is so sweet.

- So Scott, is it? What are a

few of your favorite things?

Oh, you only have one favorite thing.

Well, do you wanna tell me what it is? No.

Oh, well, if you do I promise

to make it into an ornament

especially for you.

No. Well, what if you whisper

it to me? How about that?

Okay. Which ones are

your parents?

Maybe they can tell me.

Good talk. Can I have a word?

Maybe you should do this without me.

I'm clearly out of my league

here. - What do you mean?

Oh, listen, I actually have

to go pick up a few things.

Can you finish the last few

interviews yourself?

- Hello? Hello? Have you seen me?

I'm drowning here.

Do not leave me.

- Heather, there's a couple more

interviews and then the fun begins.

- You said this would be fun.

- Listen, I just need to go

to the Christmas tree lot real

quick to pick up something.

What?

- Nothing.

Okay, well then why are

you giving me that look?

- The Christmas tree lot. Huh? - Yes.

I need a branch for one

of my ornaments. - Oh, okay,

well there are branches

on the trees outside.

- What are you saying?

- I'm saying you love him.

- What? - Oh, come on,

that Christmas tree guy

is hot and you know it.

- He's, I mean, I didn't notice.

- Okay, if you have eyes,

you notice. He was yummy.

- Well, he was...

He's...

- Mmm hmm.

Just, okay, can you please

just finish the interviews?

Thank you. Bye.

- No, Ja--

Hey, bud.

- Whoa.

- Excuse me. Hi.

- Hey, Ricardo. When you go to Mrs.

Smith's, can you make sure

and stick around to help

her set up the tree?

- Yeah, sure.

- Excuse Me.

- Oh, also bring some extra garland,

she likes putting that out on

the front porch. Thanks, man.

- You got it.

- Excuse me. Hi. I'm a customer

and I would like some assistance.

- Well, hello there, miss.

If you'd like to purchase a tree

why didn't you just say so?

Why don't I help you find the

perfect tree just for you?

Ah, aha, okay.

Now this is the height of sophistication.

I mean, it enjoys classical

music, 16th century poetry

and has a propensity for French cinema.

- Okay. Ha ha.

Look, I'm not even trying to get a tree.

What I really need is just some branches.

It could be any branches,

just some branches

that fell off somewhere or something.

- Well, unfortunately

I'm not in the business

of selling just branches.

But if you wanna get a full

tree that can be arranged.

- Okay, well then what I'd

like is to talk to your boss.

- You, you wanna see my boss?

- Yeah, I wanna talk to the owner. Please.

- Hey, listen, I'm,

I'm really sorry. Okay.

We, we can just start

over. We don't have to...

- Okay. Well, I don't think

you've left me any choice, so,

just...

- Okay, I'm gonna,

I'm gonna go get 'em.

It's just, just a minute.

How you doing ma'am? Brandon Holiday,

third generation owner of

Holiday Farms. How can I help?

- You're the owner.

- Own the trees, own the lot, own the farm

that the trees are grown on, so, yeah.

- Okay. Can I please

just have some branches

- Help me understand something here.

Is it not hip to buy a full tree anymore?

I mean, are the cool kids

only buying branches?

I really need to know

because I may need to

restructure my business.

- You know what, I don't

have time for this.

I'll take this one. This

scrawny little tree.

- That wasn't so hard now, was it?

Where are you parked?

I'll help you rope it up.

- Uh, no, that's not gonna

work. I drive a convertible.

Not great for hauling trees.

- Of course you do.

- Can someone deliver it?

I'm happy to pay extra.

- Yeah, sure.

Just leave your address with Ricardo

and I'll make sure and

get this little guy home.

Okay?

- Okay. Thank you.

- A pleasure doing business with you.

I'll see you later.

(Sentimental music plays)

- Okay, this is ready.

- Hi. One Holiday Farms tree

for the fancy designer lady.

- Sorry. You're the delivery guy too.

- Yeah. Tonight. Where'd you want 'em?

- Just you can leave it on the porch.

I don't want it inside.

- What do you mean you

don't want 'em inside?

- I don't want the mess.

- Okay, buddy, you

don't need to hear this.

I've been telling him he

was going to a new home

with his own room, beautiful view.

And now you're saying he

can't go inside? Look at him.

He doesn't belong in the outdoors.

- He's going to a better place.

- Wow. You're serious. Okay.

Sorry man. Staying outside

I guess.

- Let me get you a tip.

- Oh, no. - Thank you for

your troubles, you did

- Absolutely not. - No, I insist.

Please. I insist!

- It's, it's not a problem.

I just wanted to bring you the tree.

- Okay. - It's fine. - Um...

How about some hot apple cider?

Fresh, hot apple cider. I made some,

I was making some when you came.

And if you wanted, I don't know,

that they put up the lights in the park

and it's a nice walk if you're free.

- Yeah, I would. That sounds

actually really nice.

- Okay. I will get us some mugs. So

- Wait right here? - Yeah. You

- I'll, I'll be right here.

- Okay. Alright. - Okay, good.

- So, Brandon Holiday,

Christmas tree farmer.

It's a little on the nose, isn't it?

I knew that was coming. On

the nose or good marketing?

Ah. - So how's the, is it,

Louis Armstrong project coming along?

- Louis the XIV.

And actually I've decided

to deviate a little from my

initial concept after some

careful consideration.

- Wow. She does listen to other people

- When they know what

they're talking about.

Yes.

Yeah, I think my new idea is

actually really gonna

capture the spirit of Christmas.

- You sure you're up for that task?

'Cause I mean, no offense,

you just don't really seem

like the Christmas type.

- What? - Do you even like Christmas?

- Yes. I have very fond

memories of Christmas.

Thank you very much. I just don't stand

around in Christmas tree lots

and wax poetic about them, I think.

- Touche. Yeah, that was fair.

- I mean, I think I just, I

spend so much time decorating

for other people that I kind

of lost interest in doing it

for myself and, and

I lost my mom a few years back

and don't really have a

relationship with my dad

and I have no kids, so I just, yeah.

- Yeah.

Well, I'm sorry to

hear about your family.

It's gotta be hard. My dad

died a little while ago too.

So losing a parent's tough.

- I think sometimes it's

just easier to focus on work.

- I get that. But I don't know. I think

Christmas, you know, it also

brings people together.

You know, you have strangers,

friends, family. - Okay.

- Holidays can be tough,

but also brings a lot of joy, you know?

Wow. I sound like I'm talking

from a Christmas card.

- You do. - I do. - You definitely do.

- I'm just saying.

- You know, I don't

think I've ever met someone

who loves something as

much as you love Christmas.

- Yeah. Yeah. I probably talk

about it too much, don't I?

- I like it. It's sweet.

- Well, you're really easy to talk to.

- Thanks.

What is happening here?

- I'm not sure.

(phone buzzes)

Sorry. I'm sorry. I just one second. Yeah.

I have to take this.

- Oh, yeah, yeah. No,

- Thank you. - Take it.

- Hey honey. No, I know. I know.

I know I had to make

a delivery. I'm sorry.

But I'll be there in

like 15, okay? All right.

I love you too. Okay, bye.

- I'm sorry that was just

- No, it's fine. It is. It's

totally cool.

- Do you need help?

- No,

- I can get you into

- I'm fine. Thank you. It's fine.

Don't worry about it.

It seems like you are

a very busy person.

So Actually I would feel

better though if I gave you

a little cash for your trouble.

So let me just get some

- No, it's, it's on the house.

- Okay, well then goodnight.

- Merry Christmas.

(Jacquie groans) - I'll be

home in 15 minutes, honey.

After I'm done flirting with

a failure of a designer.

(Soft, inspiring music plays)

(Cheerful music plays)

- Anyone home? - Hi Jacquie!

- Hi. Good to see you

again, my dear, to what

do we owe the pleasure?

- Well, I was all out of

ideas the other night

and you really helped me out.

- I did? - Yeah. Yeah, you

showed me a side of Christmas

I haven't seen in a really long time.

- Well, I am quite the

muse, don't you know?

- I even made an ornament based on you

for my tree in the Festival of Trees.

- I love it. There's a

puppy and a ballerina.

There are feathers and daisies.

There's popcorn and a silly hat.

It's all the things I said I love!

- Well, I hope I didn't

miss anything.

- Look at this mini Christmas tree, Nana.

- You were the inspiration for my design.

So you saving me was a Christmas miracle.

- Oh, it sounds like destiny to me.

- I wouldn't say it was destiny.

I mean, I did help four other

struggling artists that night

too. Yeah, I'm a busy person.

- What?

- I kid, I kid.

- Brandon?

- Jacquie?

- Daddy.

- Daddy?

- Yeah. Daddy. Hey mom.

Hey baby. How you doing?

Good. It's good to see you.

- This is the artist lady

I was telling you about.

And look at what she made.

It's an ornament with

everything I love on it.

- Oh my goodness.

Let me see this.

Whoa. You're not kidding.

Those are all the things

you love. Wait a second.

Did you just say everything you love?

- Everything.

- Ah, what about me?

- You didn't make the cut.

Sorry. Maybe next year.

- Okay. Me and you, we're talking tonight.

Thank you for doing that.

- I had no idea Rachel was your daughter.

I didn't know you had

a daughter or a family.

- Yeah, I guess it never really came up.

- Well, I, I see where she

gets her Christmas spirit.

- Do you two know each other?

- Jacquie bought a tree

from the lot, baby.

- I did. And it's actually right there.

- Hello Holiday Farms. I've missed you.

- Hey guys.

- Hey, Doc.

- Rachel, you are having a

party and didn't invite me?

- I wouldn't call it a party.

More like a gathering. - Oh.

- They all heard my voice,

so they gathered and

then you heard my voice,

so you gathered. Gathering.

- Okay. Gathering.

So what have you got there?

- It's an ornament for a Christmas tree.

Jacquie made it and it's based on me.

- Oh Wow. That is something.

- I'm her inspiration for the

Festival of Trees competition.

I'm kind of a big deal.

- Mm. So you are the famous Jacquie.

that everyone has just been raving

about?

- Oh, I don't know about that.

- All the children you

interviewed have been going on

and on about you.

They're so excited to be

a part of the festival.

- I should be thanking them.

- This is one of the decorations?

- Yes. This one is based on Rachel

and all of her favorite things.

- Oh, may I? Yeah. Look

at this. Oh my goodness.

Such attention to detail.

- It's all handmade with

the help of my assistant.

- Wow. Well, we will be looking forward

to the finished product.

Brandon, do you mind if I

steal you away for a minute?

- Yeah, yeah, I'll be

right back sweetie, okay?

- Okay. Bye daddy. - Bye.

- Well, I should get going too.

I have lots of more work to do.

I just wanted to come by

and say thank you so much.

So thanks. Hey, I promise

you that I will take

so many photos

of the finished tree and

you're gonna love it.

- Okay. - Okay. - I can't wait.

- All right. - Don't be a stranger.

- I won't. Bye guys. - Bye.

- Hey, Jacquie. Hey.

Is everything okay with the doctor?

- Yeah. No, no, she's fine.

I just, I wanted to say thank you

for what you did for Rachel.

I mean, she was blown

away by that.

- Well she is...

she's amazing. I mean,

pretty much my whole

design is based on her.

- Are we good? You know,

'cause the other night I just,

- Yeah.

No. Yeah, we're, we're good.

We're... so Rachel's mom?

- Yet another reason

the holidays can be kind of rough.

- I'm so sorry.

- It's okay. It's been a long time.

I don't even know if she

remembers a time when it

wasn't just the two of us.

- So, okay. So the call

the other night? That was...

- Oh, that was, that was Rachel.

- Ah, because I thought

- No, no.

She was calling to scold me

for being late on tucking her in.

That's why I had to go.

- Well, that explains it.

- Yeah. Hey, do you wanna get

some dinner with me sometime?

Maybe this weekend? Maybe.

- Oh, well the festival's this weekend,

- Right. I don't know

how I forgot that.

Maybe another time then.

- Well, I could actually, I

could use a date for the Gala.

I mean, I don't have a

date, so if you are free

and it's a stuffy, like, dressy thing.

So if that's okay with you?

- I could use a little

stuffy dressy in my life.

So yes, I would love to go.

- Okay. That's good. Okay.

It's a date. - It's a date.

- All right. - Okay. - Well

- I'm gonna go check on Rachel.

- Yeah, no, you should do that.

And I'm gonna walk away and stop talking.

- Okay. I'll see you this weekend.

- Yeah. Alright.

- I think we may have bitten

off a little more than

we can chew here.

- Nonsense.

We're nearly there.

- What is that?

- That's a horse.

But I know what will reboot our systems.

- What's that?

- Some of Grandma's old

eggnog. - Yes.

Wait, which grandma is this?

Is this the church going one

or the one who lives in Vegas?

- Oh, church. - Oh, okay.

- Nice pour.

- That's a lot. - That's good.

- Cheers.

(Jacquie coughs)

That's, very strong.

I thought you said this was

your church going grandma?

- Yeah, she's the one that's

fond of the old hooch.

- It's like, too tasty.

(Sentimental holiday music plays)

- Even if...

Even if you don't win

this year... You will.

But if you don't. But you, you will.

I'm just, I'm really proud of you

for putting all of this together.

- Well, I couldn't have

done it without you.

- You know. Us two.

- You are seriously

the best. - No, us two.

We've got it. We've got it up

here. - What? - In our skulls.

And we have it down

here in our, our ribs.

I'm talking brains and

heart. Money can't buy that.

And that's why Alice, what's

her face is gonna taste the

sweet smell of losing. - Okay.

no more hooch for you.

- You know what I mean.

You are going to win this year.

- We are gonna win this year.

'cause we're a team. - Yeah, we are.

What are you doing?

Remind me to please

thank my dear old Gran

for this spectacular headache.

- All right, here we are.

Jacqueline Miller Designs.

- Finally.

- I didn't think it was

that fabulous, honestly.

I really didn't, I think that

maybe there were five of them.

Here, here, here.

- Roger, Coffee. - Sorry.

- But there are four of them?

Oh, Natasha is falling. She

is the same miserable person.

- I wonder where Alice's tree

is or what her theme is?

- It's way over on the other

side with the sponsored trees.

- Sponsored trees. Yeah.

- Sorry.

But listen, don't worry about her tree.

Don't worry about anyone

else's tree, okay?

Ours is perfect and it's gonna rock.

- Yeah, it's just, they had

those really fancy carts.

- Okay, everything about

that woman annoys me.

Well, you are so hungover. Come on.

(Cheerful holiday music)

- Wow.

Ow. What? - Is that what I think it is?

- I don't believe it.

- It's your Louis the XIV

couture design.

- It can't be. - It is.

Look who's working on it.

- Alice Stewart.

- There has to be

something that we can do.

We can call the chairman

and have her look at

the dates on the designs.

Maybe we can get Alice

kicked outta the competition.

This can't be allowed to happen, can it?

- It's my exact design. - I know.

How are you so calm right now?

- I don't know what to say.

- Say you'll cover my bail

when they take me to prison

for murdering Alice Stewart.

- I mean it's stunning, but...

- What?

- But it's cold.

There is not one ounce of

Christmas spirit in that tree.

Whereas this? Hey, this on the other hand.

No, this is a tree that

will make people smile.

This is a tree that will remind

people of their childhood.

This is a Christmas tree.

- Well, you just know her

tree will get more bids at

the silent auction, though.

- Okay. If it does, it does.

You know, actually right now,

looking at both these trees,

I am glad that our original

design was rejected.

- Okay, but how did she end

up with your exact design?

The only way that could have

happened is if she somehow got

her hands on your sketch.

- Maybe. But something tells me I was

always meant to do The Memory Tree.

And right now I could not be

prouder of the work that you

and I did to get us this far.

I mean, look at it. I

think it might be some

of our finest work ever.

- Oh, is she a beauty

or what? Such class and elegance.

- Course it is,

a fantastic designer designed it.

- Oh, thank you.

- It's very beautiful,

Alice. Good luck. Come on.

- Oh wait a minute,

I didn't get to see what you put together.

What's your theme?

- Well, it's called The Memory Tree.

(Roger chuckles)

- Sorry.

- Well, it is quaint.

- It's inspiring.

- Oh my darling.

All art is inspiring.

That's why we do what we do.

Okay, I'm gonna explain something to you.

These average people that come in here

for the festival, poor things.

They don't know anything about style.

They don't know what looks

good or what doesn't.

You know who they turn

to for guidance? Me. - Her.

- Now I... can you...

I could strip these branches bare

and next year it'd be

considered the latest trend.

That's all design is.

You decide what you like,

you tell other people it's what they want.

- Well, maybe that's what

it is for you, Alice,

and good for you.

- Thank you. - But one

thing I've learned

learned from the festival this

year is that a true

artist learns from others.

A true artist draws

inspiration from the world

around them and opens their heart

and mind so they can see

what's important to people

and help try to bring that

to life for them to enjoy.

- Now that's poetic.

- Best of luck to you, Alice

May the best tree win.

Come on.

I'm proud of our tree.

- Don't worry,

it will.

- Roger, you're doing it again.

- I'll be right there.

- Wow. I mean, good evening, Miss.

I'm here to escort the very

talented world famous designer

to her event. - Stop it.

- Seriously, you look very gala-esque.

- Is that your

tree lot salesman

way of saying I look nice?

- Okay. I'm better with

trees than people sometimes.

But you look way better than

nice. You, you look gorgeous

- And you look very handsome.

- These are for you by the way.

- Thank you.

- What happened to the scrawny

little guy? Wood chipper?

- Well, I took your advice

and I decided to celebrate

Christmas for myself again.

- It's beautiful.

- And you're right.

I do feel less alone.

- Well, we should get going.

Can't leave your fans waiting, you know?

- Yes. Let me just put

these in some water.

Will you grab my coat? - Of course.

- Okay. I'm Ready.

- You ready? - Yeah.

- Let's go.

- Thank You.

- Alright, let's go.

(Holiday party music plays)

- Excuse me?

We're Looking to interview

some good-looking people

for the news.

You wanna come with me?

- Sure. - Alright, come on.

Enjoy yourself

(Holiday party music continues)

- Oh, it looks so beautiful.

- Rachel would love this.

- Yeah. Oh my gosh. Look at these.

- That is huge!

- So big. All the colors on

- this one.

I love the snow tips.

- Oh yeah.

- That's my favorite.

- Very cool.

- Go on.

Enjoy it. You deserve it.

- Okay ladies

and gentlemen, allow me

to introduce the very talented

designer of this tree.

Jacqueline Miller.

- Beautiful.

- You should call me. - Oh my

gosh, yes. Thank you. You?

Yeah. Yeah. I will. Thank you.

- Wow. It's beautiful.

- Hey, thank you for being here with me.

- So what do we have here?

Hot Christmas tree guy,

you finally broke the ice

queen down, did ya?

- Something like that.

- Tell me something. What do you do

with all the leftover trees?

- Oh, we take 'em off to a

farm where they live out the

rest of their lives

frolicking in the wild.

- Yeah, you chip them up, don't you?

- Yeah, pretty much.

- You're a sicko. Are you kidding me?

- You are a piece of work.

You know that, right?

- I'm a fixer upper.

That's why Jacquie loves me.

- Is she serious? - She is.

- Wow. - I do love her.

- Okay. - It's true.

- She's, she's great.

- Congratulations Ms. Miller.

Your design is really

causing quite a stir.

- Well, thank you so much.

Oh, and this is Brandon

Holiday from Holiday Farms,

the tree lot.

- Oh, over on Prince Avenue, yes?

- Yes ma'am. That's the one.

- Yes. That's a charming little lot.

We must talk about getting

our trees from you next year.

- I would love that. And thank

you so much for what you do

with the Children's Healthcare.

Oh, it means so much to

the kids and the families.

- Well that's our pleasure.

Well, I have a lot of glad-handing to do.

Congratulations again

on your lovely tree. - Thank you.

- And I'm sure your auction

winner will be very pleased.

I am sure. Tah tah!

- What's wrong?

- Oh, how could I have been so stupid?

- What? - The tree.

- What about it?

- Whoever wins the auction, they, they get

to take the tree home.

They own it. Everything.

The the tree, the ornaments, all of it.

- So what's the problem?

I thought that was the whole

point of the festival.

- The problem is that I

promised those children

that I would give them each their very own

ornament at the end of the festival.

They're gonna be heartbroken.

- They're gonna be fine.

It's okay. I promise.

Kids are resilient. Trust me.

- I'm, no, I have to find

Heather.

- No, Jacquie. Jacquie!

- Mr. Holiday.

- Dr. Stanley

- Enjoying the festival?

- Yeah. Yeah. I'm good.

It's good to see you.

- Good to see you too. So this

is the final product, is it?

- Yeah.

She knocked it outta

the park. If you ask me.

- Better than that, I'd say it's perfect.

It may be the most beautiful,

meaningful tree I've seen in a long time.

- All right if we could

have everyone gather over

toward the stage, we're

gonna give away some prizes.

- It's that time.

- I know the trees are beautiful,

but we've got all night to look.

- Are you ready?

- Let's get those bids

in folks, huh? Last call.

- That's my cue.

- See you up there.

- Well, good evening everyone.

And we want to thank

you all for being here.

You know Cindy, I say this every year.

- Oh, I know what you're gonna say.

- But every festival out

does the previous one.

- I know, how do they do it?

I mean.

- Year after year.

- You know, from the committee

members to the volunteers,

from the designers, to the sponsors.

Everybody has worked so hard

to make this year the

best Festival of Trees ever.

- And it really is another

round of applause for that.

- It deserves it, doesn't it? I know.

Let's just keep it going.

- Okay. Well now listen,

before we get to the top

auction prize, Cindy,

it's time to have a little fun.

You ready for some fun?

Are you ready for some fun?

So we are gonna begin

with the judges awards.

And the first award is

for the Most Unique prize.

And that award goes to Bethany Atwell

for her Jurassic Jingle Design.

Well done Bethany.

- Yes, congratulations.

Alright, let's see.

Next up is Most Elegant.

I mean, I don't feel

like I even need to open it.

- Hey, have you seen Jacquie?

- No. She said she was gonna look for you.

Have you talked to her?

- Most Elegant is Versailles

on Holiday by Alice Stewart.

- Where did she go?

- She got more upset when she

remembered the tree was getting auctioned.

- Oh, poor thing. Okay. We

have to go find her,

I think. Yeah.

- Elegance and Alice Stewart,

it just goes hand in hand

- Like biscuits and gravy folks. - Yes.

Like Xanax and champagne.

(audience laughs)

(Somber music plays)

- Hey, what are you doing down here?

They're giving out the awards.

- All I wanted to do was create a tree

that people would go nuts for.

And then I did it. And

somehow I still feel sad.

Like, like it was all for nothing.

- Jacquie, you're putting too

much pressure on yourself.

Those kids, they love just getting

to be involved with something, okay?

You are the only designer

who even thought of them.

It means more than any

gift. You showed them

their stories matter.

- Well then why do I feel terrible?

- Okay,

listen to me, Jacquie. I

love you like a sister.

You know I do, right? - Right.

- And you know, I will

always be honest with you,

right? - Right.

- Okay.

You're being a drama queen.

You are here with a hot guy,

you made a bunch of kids, even

the weird ones, very happy.

And you have a tree that

would knock the stockings off

of Santa himself.

We will figure something out

about the ornaments, okay?

But for right now, I need you

to get over this little

pity party you're in

and get your butt back

inside. Because, so help me,

if I have to miss the look on

Alice Stewart's face when you

beat her this year, I

will never forgive you.

No. Christmas Day can be about the kids.

Today is about winning.

- Okay. You're right.

- Yep, yep.

- Okay, let's go.

- Let's do it.

- Alright.

- Future reference?

You never have to be that honest with me.

- Wonderful, isn't it? Thank

you all for being patient.

Counting down from 15th Place.

We are now at second place.

All right, and the winner

is... oh, Tourmaline Ice

by Bob Lucy.

- It's ready.

- What a beautiful tree.

Right? - Lovely. Lovely.

But this is the big one, folks.

The final award goes to the tree

that received the highest bids

in the silent auction. Cindy,

it's the tree that exemplifies the theme

and the true spirit of

the Festival of Trees.

And the winning tree is

- The Memory Tree by

designer Jacqueline Miller,

(applause)

- What?

- Who even is that?

- You did it. - It's

amazing. - What? What?

- Oh. Oh, that must be her there.

- Oh. Let's get Ms. Miller

up here to receive her

Beautiful award.

- Now we have one more

piece of wonderful news.

The Memory Tree just set a new record

for the highest bid

ever received

in the Festival of Trees.

- Wow. And here she is!

- Get it away! Get moving! Move!

- Wooo!

- Um...

Thank you.

Wow. I just,

I just wanna say that as a

designer, this is something

that I have been dreaming

of for a long time,

but I didn't do it alone.

I would like to dedicate

this award to Rachel Holiday

and to all the kids at

Children's Healthcare

and to everyone actually that,

that helped remind me that

as great as this festival is,

and it is so great, it's,

it's really wonderful,

but... But a Christmas tree,

it's not about its decorations,

it's about the people who put them there.

So my hope is that to the

winners of all the trees, that

as you are enjoying your tree in your home

or in your place of

business, that you remember

to be grateful for the people

gathered around the tree

with you because those memories made.

That's where the real

magic of Christmas happens.

Thank you again so much.

- Wow. - That's the

True Spirit folks.

That's the spirit.

- It's why we're all here, isn't it?

Well, we hope that you

all have enjoyed the

awards ceremony tonight.

Please take a look around,

check out The Memory Tree,

new hot gal on the block.

Thank you all so much! Goodnight.

- We'll see you next year!

- It's time for champagne number five.

- We did it! - Ms. Miller?

- Mr. Lowery.

- Congratulations. I

owe you an apology.

- Oh, you owe her more

than that. - Heather.

- No, she's right. I

owe you an explanation.

It seems Ms. Stewart

came by my office shortly

after you were there

and convinced me to

sponsor a designer who,

as she put it, had far more experience

and a reputation for class.

- If you ask me, stealing is never classy.

- Burn.

- She's right again. And I was wrong.

I allowed her to look at your design.

I never imagined being a person of class

that she would steal it for her very own.

I claim full responsibility.

And I do hope we can still be friends.

- Well, I mean, it is Christmas.

- Yes. And on that note,

my wife loved your tree,

and especially the thought

that went into its design,

and she has been gently coaxing me

to do a complete redesign of our offices.

- Oh, thank God. - Heather.

- I, I mean. - It is overdue,

so if you're willing

I would like

to offer you that opportunity.

- Thank you, Mr. Lowery. Why

don't I have Heather call you

next week and we'll set up

a meeting at our office?

- Perfect. I look forward

to what you come up with,

and congratulations again.

It was well deserved.

- You are not really

going to work with him.

- Heather, you're fired. - I'm

sorry. What? - You're fired.

We're about to get a contract

for all 24 floors of Lowery and Lowe.

I have a hundred other

business cards in my pocket.

We're about to be very busy for a while,

and I'm gonna need you

as my Head of Operations.

- There are literally

a million better ways

to give somebody a promotion.

- I know, but this was fun for me.

My first order of

business hire us both new

assistants. - Both of us?

- Yep. I can't have my Head

of Operations answering

her own phone now, can I?

- No. No, we most certainly cannot.

I deserve a drink. -

You do. - Do you? I can.

I'll keep this safe. Okay. All right.

- Okay.

I mean, do keep it safe.

- Hey, congratulations.

- Thank you. Do you wanna

grab a late night hot cocoa?

- Yes, I do want to,

but I should really get

back to the hospital.

- Yeah, of course. You want company?

- No, no, no, no. You

and Heather go celebrate. Can

I come see you in the morning?

- Yeah, absolutely.

- Do I need to make an appointment now?

Because I mean, you're pretty popular.

- Yeah, no, I think I might

be able to pencil you in.

I mean, I'll have to check my

- I wanted to do that

for a really long time.

(Romantic music swells)

- 20 new emails in the last half hour.

I need an assistant just to

help me hire an assistant.

- It is a good problem to have.

- Hi. Morning.

- Hey.

- Hey. Couple snow-caccinos

for the local celebrities.

- Oh, you're swell. - Thank

you. - How's it going?

- Oh, it's great. I, I mean,

the phone has been ringing

all morning with new clients.

- That's amazing. - Yeah.

I do still feel bad about the

kids and their ornaments though.

- Well, about that. I was

- Well, actually, I was thinking

maybe it would be nice to give those

to the kids.

- The drawings?

Yeah. That's a great

idea. What do you think?

- I think we should go down there

right now and pass 'em out.

- Heather, this is a great idea.

Okay, so we'll hand out

sketches to the kids.

I actually think that they're gonna

(Tender music plays)

(kids chatter excitedly)

Wait.

What in the world? Did

you know about this?

- Being a Christmas tree

farmer has its advantages.

Direct line to Santa and all, you know?

- But how?

- Let's just call it a Christmas miracle.

Hey, princess! - Daddy!

Hey. Oh, I missed you.

- I missed you so much.

- Wow. Look at that tree.

- It's even more beautiful

than I ever imagined.

We love it. We love it so much!

- Well, it's really all

because of you, Rachel.

- You had the Christmas

spirit in you the entire

time. I just set it free.

- Seriously. How old is she?

- I'm still trying to figure that out.

- Look at where my ornament is, Daddy.

- Oh, my goodness.

That is the best ornament

ever. Here you go, sweetie.

- We should put it back.

- Why?

- It's yours to keep, Rachel.

- I know, but the ornaments

are what makes The Memory Tree

so unique. Besides, I'd like

to see it hanging there over Christmas.

- Well, when we're

decorating the tree at home,

aren't you gonna miss the ornament?

- What do you mean at home?

- Dr. Stanley called me this morning

- And - And she gave us the

all clear, honey, you want

to come home for Christmas?

- Are you for real?

- 100%.

Boom.

- That's so awesome. Oh my

gosh. There's so much to do.

We gotta decorate our

tree and make cookies.

Oh, and watch Christmas movies.

And eat popcorn until we explode!

- We're gonna do all that

minus the exploding part.

Gimme a hug. Oh, I love you so much.

- Do you like Christmas

movies, Jacquie?

- I love them.

Christmas movie, our house,

tonight. I have a few ideas on how

to turn The Memory Tree into a franchise

(Upbeat holiday music plays)

- Ah!

Merry Christmas, kid.

Okay.

Daddy... it's snowing!

Oh my gosh!

(kids all shouting with joy)

(Upbeat holiday music swells)