The National Tree (2009)

In its search for a new national Christmas tree, the United States enlists the help of the Box of Toys organization, which holds a contest, receiving entries from across the country. The winning tree belongs to 17-year-old video blogger Rock Burdock (Williams), whose father, Corey (McCarthy), planted the Sitka Spruce for him the day he was born. One week before Thanksgiving, Corey and Rock, accompanied by marketing rep Faith Russell (Matchett), embark on a drive across the country to bring the tree to Washington, D.C., where it will be planted across from the White House and lit by the President and the First Family. Rock dreads spending days on end with a dad who doesn’t understand him, but Corey hopes the trip will allow for some father-son bonding, however belated it may be. As the Burdocks make their way across the country, their tree garners more and more fans, as do each of them. However, with the increased media attention, the tree’s significance begins to be more about its marketability than its sentimental value as a national symbol, and it’s up to Rock and Corey to decide – as a family – which is more important.

Evan Williams, who stars in the popular and long-running “Degrassi: The Next Generation” on The N, Nickelodeon’s sister network, hits the road with popular actors Andrew McCarthy (“Lipstick Jungle”) and Kari Matchett (“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”) in the family film, based on the novel by David Kranes.