New York City's seasonal Christmas tree sales aren't always a holly-jolly business. The most statuesque trees worthy of a Manhattan pied-à-terre or Brooklyn brownstone don’t come cheap — or without behind-the-scenes drama that has been kept from New Yorkers, until now. The Christmas tree sellers that pop up on the streets of NYC in the run-up to the big day have often gone more than $400,000 into debt to buy their supplies.