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Better late than never.  We missed our episode drop date by 10 days.  That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.  It’s so much fun packed into a few short weeks.  Plus, the way the Festive Fans pine away for this holiday all year, we have to squeeze the most out of our season.  We’ve barely had time to make our Christmas lists.  You know that anticipation can sometimes make things better by building excitement before the event actually arrives.  So now that this episode is finally dropping, it carries the weight of all that expectation, which should make it feel more rewarding and memorable. However, that’s not the case here.

The Festive Fans visit Georgia this episode.  No, not that Peach State.  We are talking about the country that is framed by the snowcapped Caucasus Mountains and the warm shores of the Black Sea.  It is a place known for being at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.  We view only our second documentary in three years.  It explores another aspect of the Christmas commercial trade — the transnational Christmas tree industry.  Despite it being the holiday season, we are still left at the end with the same feeling of angst.

This film is framed in the shadow of a child’s murder who we meet in the documentary.  It also tackles the socio-economic conditions between the working-class Georgians who risk their lives climbing trees to harvest pinecones and the upper-class Danes who buy them.  This financial dichotomy over the production of Christmas trees creates a strong sense of emotional overload. When the world outside is glowing with lights and songs about hope and joy, this stream of real-life drama is raw and cuts more deeply.  In this way, a sad documentary during Christmas doesn’t just tell a story—it intertwines with the season’s emotions.

Above all, this movie carries emotional depth, especially at this time of year.  While not pleasant or festive, it still is deeply human and part of the shared Christmas experience.  When the season is stripped down to its true essence, it can still be deeply spiritual and meaningful. So it is important during our celebrations, that we recognize that understanding, gratitude, and humility always lie at the heart of Christmas.

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Season 3, Episode 11 – Kalėdų eglutės gyvenimas ir mirtis “The Life and Death of a Christmas Tree” (Georgia)