New Brunswick, NJ, December 28, 2021 –(PR.com)– JJMAC Productions, an award-winning independent documentary production company, announced today the digital release of Timber: A Sappy Holiday Story, a new documentary featuring two Christmas tree farmers as they prepare for this holiday season amid rising prices and tree shortages.
The short film gives a behind-the-scenes look at the heartfelt and intimate relationships between the farmers as they contend with the impact of inflation and a tree shortage brought on by the 2008 recession. Timber: A Sappy Holiday Story gives viewers a peek into the work involved in one of America’s oldest holiday traditions, and the tender moments that arise in this annual journey to find the perfect tree.
As consumers headed into this holiday season, they were met with higher prices for Christmas trees. According to economists, the price for both live and artificial trees jumped 10 to 30 percent this year. However, the cause of the increase was more directly tied to the 2008 recession and farmers’ decision to plant fewer trees more than a decade ago because of dwindling demand.
“It would typically cost $2,800 to get a load of trees from Canada, now it’s $4,000,” said Jack Sangillo, a farmer on Anne Ellen Farms and one of the main protagonists of the film. His father purchased the land twenty years ago and converted it from a potato farm to a Christmas trees farm.
“These farmers help fulfill our Christmas traditions year after year,” said Jamie Macdonald, director and producer of Timber: A Sappy Holiday Story. “In somewhat of a gray and dark time, it’s important to shed light on a tradition that we may subconsciously take for granted. The growing, maintaining, and caring for a Christmas tree is a lot more intense and unpredictable that many may be aware of, especially in the world in which we live today.”
