The Christmas Tree

Sister Anthony has spent decades caring for a sapling on convent grounds, watching it grow into a stately tree that carries years of quiet attention and private meaning. When Richard Reilly, the head landscape architect at New York's Rockefeller Center, arrives with plans to select and move that very tree for the city's Christmas display, the proposal threatens the life and history the nun has nurtured. Instead of a simple conflict over property, the situation opens a slow, unexpected friendship between two people from different worlds, as they argue, barter, and reveal pieces of their pasts. The film keeps the ending to itself, focusing on the gentle interactions and moral choices that emerge around tradition, community, and what we owe to living things.

This 1996 made-for-television drama was directed by Sally Field and was created by Jill Weber, Julie Salamon, and Janet Brownell. The cast includes Julie Harris as Sister Anthony, Andrew McCarthy as Richard Reilly, Trini Alvarado as Beth, and Betty Aberlin as Sister Sarah.

As a TV movie, it wasn't released theatrically, so there are no box office figures; it was produced for broadcast and intended for holiday-season viewing rather than a cinema run.

Audience reaction has been modest, reflected in a small number of user votes and an average near 6.1 out of 10. Reviewers tended to note the film's focus on character work over spectacle, and many singled out Julie Harris's performance as a warm highlight. Themes of tradition versus public spectacle and unlikely friendship are handled in a straightforward, human way that suits a holiday TV drama.

The story leans on the cultural resonance of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, using that real-world ritual as a narrative hook. For viewers who enjoy seasonal movies with a reflective tone, it offers a relaxed, homespun look at how public ceremonies can touch private lives, and it stands out mainly for its cast and the unusual choice to have Sally Field behind the camera.