Weihnachten im Morgenland (2010)

Since his wife’s death, forester Florian Droste has lived a very secluded life in his forestry lodge in the Sauerland. Although his daughter makes a great effort to cheer him up, he would rather keep everyone at a distance and devote himself to “his” forest. He has also been very successful with the trees for years, and every Christmas Sheikh Sharif Al-Carim has one of Droste’s splendid fir trees sent to his homeland in the Arab world. This year, project manager Milena Makowsky even contacts Florian in person to choose the tree. While she is there, she reveals what she really wants: the sheikh dreams of owning his own fir forest, and he wants Droste, as an expert, to create one for him—not in Germany, but in the Emirates. Droste gratefully turns down the offer; after all, fir trees don’t grow in the desert. However, he has second thoughts when his daughter and her family, his mother-in-law, and his sister-in-law “descend” on him shortly before Christmas, disturbing the solitude he has chosen for himself. To the horror of his family, who think he is depressed and at risk of suicide, Florian simply leaves and flies with Milena to the “Orient.” But Sandra, Dennis, Marte, Dorothee, and her young son Tobias follow him all the way to his hotel in Dubai. Out of necessity, Florian gives them his suite and moves into Milena’s room. He suggests that they pretend to his family that they are a couple, so he can work on the fir-tree project in peace. But Milena gradually realizes that Florian is only half-heartedly interested in the project and really just wants to escape his family. By now, though, that no longer bothers her, because they have both fallen in love with each other. They enjoy their time together. But Florian’s family now takes up his attention for another reason: his daughter suddenly wants to break up with her boyfriend because she thinks she is not allowed to be happy as long as her father is unhappy. While Florian manages to bring his family somewhat back together—his mother-in-law is having problems too, and his sister-in-law Dorothee has fallen in love with an Arab—Milena now has to figure out how to tell her boyfriend in Holland that there is another man in her life. She promptly flies to Copenhagen, leaving Florian alone at the hotel. This gives him time for his family, and for the first time they all talk about their real problems and how they can finally resolve them. They set off home happy and content, but Florian does not go with them. He wants to make one more dream come true, because dreams are important. He has in fact successfully completed the plans for the fir-tree project, and other experts could handle its practical implementation. But Florian wants to stay involved, partly because he hopes Milena will come back to him. She only intends to return to Dubai for the project’s inspection, but Florian impulsively invites her to spend Christmas with him in Germany, in the snow. There, he indirectly proposes to her, and Milena accepts.