By
James Gordon
For
more than 80 years, people from around the world have flocked to see
the dazzling lights of the Christmas tree at New York's Rockefeller
Center. The first time New Yorkers put up a Christmas tree in
Rockefeller Center was in 1931.
The
Depression-era workmen building the center were so grateful to have
jobs that they decorated a spruce tree with strings of cranberries,
paper garlands, and a few tin cans. 82 years later, the tree stands
almost 80 feet tall, is fitted with 45,000 LED lights and weighs 12
tons.
A
New York institution now in its 82nd year, some 40,000 LED lights (all
energy efficient) on five miles of wire are wrapped around a giant
Norway spruce.
Live broadcasts of the event began in 1946, according
to NBC, and as the decorations have become more elaborate over the
years, so has the lighting ceremony.
Millions come to see the spectacle each season, just as they have been doing for generations.
The holiday season has well and truly begun!
Lights on! Weighing 12 ton, standing 9.5 foot
wide, almost 80 foot tall and travelling 70 miles from Connecticut, this
year's tree certainly impressed the masses that turned out for the
traditional lighting ceremony
How it all began: Construction workers line up
for pay beside the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York
in 1931. St. Patrick's Cathedral is visible in the background on Fifth
Avenue
Tradition: With a flick of the switch, a 76-foot
Norway Spruce from Connecticut officially became the Rockefeller Center
Christmas tree on Wednesday night, in a ceremony that's been held since
1933
Hark the herald angels sing: Some 45,000 energy
efficient LED lights adorn the 76-foot tree (seen in the background)
while angels made of wire and lights frame the Rockefeller Center
Getting bigger: Just three years in and this was the Christmas tree on the Plaza in 1934
The way it was: No ice rink and no crowds in 1934. New York looks positively peaceful!
The tree in 1934: 79 years ago the tree was down in the pit where the ice rink is located
Star attraction: Swarovski has provided the star
for the top of the tree for 10 years. These pictures show how the tree
appeared in 2004
Variety: Christmas trees in Rockefeller Center
have ranged from 50-foot Pines to 100-foot Norway Spruces, Rockefeller
Center says, the largest of Rockefeller Center¿s trees was the
100-year-old, 100-foot-tall, ten-ton Norway Spruce erected in 1999
Christmas Shopper: New York's Rockefeller Center
is decked out for Christmas-and so is actress-singer Liza Minnelli,
newly overwhelmed by Christmas packages in 1970
December 1967: Hundreds gather to watch the
lighting of the giant Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. In the
foreground is part of the decorations in the center's promenade
The fifties: All the ingredients common to
Christmas time in New York; Santa Claus, a Salvation Army Cadet and the
famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, a must for tourists
How it was in 1989: What started as a seemingly
simple gesture of celebration during one of the roughest times in the
nation's history turned into a symbol of the start of the Christmas
season in NYC
Angel of mine: Glittering angels lining the
promenade at Rockefeller Center frame more of the celestials brightly
ornamenting the facade of Saks Fifth Avenue, across the street. Many
such elaborate Christmas decorations along fashionable Fifth Avenue have
turned it into a wonderland of light.
Santa's coming to down: Santa Claus skates with some children at the Rockefeller Center rink in 1981
Sent from above: An angel decoration,
illuminated at night during the holiday season, in the Angel Garden at
Rockefeller Center in 1995
The set-up: Rockefeller Center's 1952 Christmas
tree (above), an 85-foot Norway spruce, is jockeyed into position under
the watchful eyes of a trio of interested youngsters at Rockefeller
Center Plaza. (Below) in 2007, the Swarovski star is placed atop the
mighty tree
Sliding around the Christmas tree: Ice skaters
skate near the large Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York
City - this was in 1995
The trees of Christmas past: Shoppers and tourists ice skate in Rockefeller Center during the Christmas holidays
The iconic tree: To find the perfect, seven-story spruce each year, Rockefeller Center conducts aerial searches by helicopter
Grand entrance: The Rockefeller Center Christmas
Tree as seen through a row of lighted angels in the Center's garden. In
2004 the tree was a 71-foot high Norway spruce
Ceremonial switch on: Skaters skate through
patterns of light below the statue of Prometheus, during the 2004
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony
The iconic Christmas scene: Illuminated and decorated Rockefeller center with snow capped ice rink, before Christmas in 2002
Blowing their own trumpet: Spurred by the
growing environmental movement, Rockefeller Center recycled its first
Christmas tree in 1971, turning it into 30 three-bushel bags of mulch
for the nature trails of upper Manhattan
Shining bright: Illuminated and decorated Rockefeller center, before Christmas in 2002
A familiar sight: The traditional tree is raised
into place by crane in Rockefeller Center Plaza. It was an 85 foot
Norway Spruce in 1961
Energy efficient: The 75th tree marked the start
of a new eco-friendly tradition in 2007. It was cut down with a
two-person handsaw, and illuminated by 30,000 LEDs that used a fraction
of the energy of normal bulbs
Chopped: In 2005, Habitat for Humanity used the
heartwood to make doorframes for houses for the needy; and last year,
about 15 percent of the tree went into making paper for a book called
The Carpenter's Gift
Institution: The Rockefeller Center Christmas
tree stands lit during the 80th annual lighting ceremony in New York in
November 2012
Ever-green: Since 2007, the spruce has been lit
with 30,000 energy-efficient LEDs, which are powered by solar panels. Of
course, the panels work best when it¿s sunny outside, so during New
York City¿s cold, dark winters, they¿re mostly decorative, too
Symbol of Christmas: The Christmas tree beneath the soaring towers of Rockefeller Center in 2011
30 Rock in 2001: Then First lady Laura Bush and
New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had the honor of lighting the tree
during the 69th Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting ceremony
Golden angels: Illuminated angels--in Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center frame brightly lit annual Christmas Tree in 1980
Home for the holidays: Overlooking Rockefeller
Center with fountains and a lighted Christmas tree in the plaza and
rooftop gardens and pools, New York City
Shining beacon: A Christmastime view of
Rockefeller Center, showing the roof gardens on the buildings and the
Christmas tree in the plaza in 1990
Christmas spirit: Skater's whiz by at
Rockefeller Center in front of the General Electric Building at
Rockefeller Plaza, during the 72nd Annual Christmas Tree Lighting
Ceremony in 2004
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas: The
Rockefeller Center Christmas tree stands lit in front of the General
Electric building in New York's Rockefeller Plaza, in 2003
Whizzing around: Skaters in the Rockefeller Center during the Holidays in 2011
What a sight! Usually the tree comes from New
Jersey or Connecticut. The farthest distance a tree has ever traveled
was approximately 518 miles - from Ottawa, Canada
Time after time: The first nationally televised Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting was in 1951 on the 'Kate Smith Show'
Tree laid bare: Workers install the new Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in 2010
Fascinating fact: It takes two dozen
electricians on scaffolding to decorate the branches with 30,000 lights
attached to five miles of wire
Looking back: The tradition of the tree began in
the Great Depression during the construction of the Rockefeller Center
complex in 1931. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree tradition
formally began in 1933 when a tree was strung with 700 lights
Loud and proud: The 76th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree stands after the lighting ceremony in New York City in 2008
As it ever was: The Rockefeller Center Christmas
tree stands lit in front of the General Electric building, as people
skate on the ice in New York's Rockefeller Plaza in December 2005.
Shining brightly: The lights of the 73rd Annual
Rockefeller Center Christmas tree following the lighting ceremony in
November 2005. The event marks the beginning of the holiday season in
New York City each year
'Tis the season: The desired dimension for a
Rockefeller Center Norway spruce is a minimum of 65 feet tall and 35
feet wide. A tree smaller than that will only be considered as a future
candidate
The tree in 2006: After the tree is cut, the
head gardener for Rockefeller Center counts the stump rings to get a
more accurate measure of its age. A Norway spruce typically lives about
as long as a human, from 80 to 100 years
Top of the tree: The Rockefeller Center Gardens
manager is always looking for the perfect tree. The top annual
selections are flown over, critically inspected and the best tree
picked. This was the selection in 2007
1 comment:
Thanks so very much RWM and I sent this link to my oldest daughter as she will not be able to travel to NYC the week after Christmas with the rest of the family due to work. Except for this year; my four kids travel with me to NYC and they always spend a few hours at the at Rockefeller Center and ice skate.
HonestLib
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