Luke Bartolo ‘27
EE Staff Writer
New York City is preparing for the holiday season by cutting down and decorating the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree! The tradition dates back to 1931, when construction workers building Rockefeller Plaza decorated a Christmas tree to celebrate the holidays. In 1933, the tree lighting ceremony tradition began.
Each year, head gardener of Rockefeller Center, Erik Pauze, drives around looking for the perfect tree. Pauze spotted this tree in 2020, and knocked on the Albert family’s door in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. When the tree was planted in 1967, it slowly grew, and the family decorated it every year. Eventually, the tree got too large to decorate, but it stayed in the yard as a symbol of their family.
The 74-foot Norway Spruce was cut down on November 7, and arrived in Rockefeller Center on November 9, after nearly a 140-mile trip. It will be decorated with more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star, designed by Daniel Libeskind in 2018.
The tree will be lit on December 4 at NBC’s annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center show, which will be hosted by Kelly Clarkson for the second year in a row. The show will feature performances by various performers, and at the end of the show, all eyes will be on the tree as we all count down, and witness 50,000 lights illuminate.
NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center will air on Wednesday, December 4, from 8:00-10:00 PM.
Photo credit: @rockefellercenter Instagram