The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has officially arrived in New York City, marking the beginning of the holiday season in the Big Apple.
This 74-foot Norway spruce was transported to Manhattan’s Center Plaza and lifted into place by a crane. To adorn the tree, it will take 5 miles of light strands with over 50,000 multicolored LED bulbs, wrapping around its 43-foot diameter. At the very top, a Swarovski star crown adorned with 3 million crystals will shine brightly.
Donated by the Albert family from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, this towering conifer was cut down on Thursday morning and embarked on a 140-mile journey to its new home. Interestingly, this is the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree from Massachusetts since 1959.
As the tree made its grand entrance into New York City, crowds of onlookers eagerly watched as it was carefully positioned and secured in place by a team of professionals. Erik Pauze, the head gardener at Rockefeller Center, expressed his excitement at the large turnout of spectators witnessing the tree-raising event. He donned a candy cane-striped hard hat as he oversaw the process.
Pauze first spotted the tree in 2020 while scouting for another tree and has since been preparing it for the upcoming elaborate tree-trimming festivities.
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“We stood it up, and now we’re going to lower some of the branches down by hand, because they’re so heavy and so big that we have to lower them down by hand,” Pauze explained.
The highly anticipated lighting ceremony for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is scheduled for December 4th.
After the holiday season comes to a close, the tree will be repurposed into lumber for Habitat for Humanity, continuing the tradition of giving back.
