The first Rockefeller Center tree was only 20' tall

The first Rockefeller Center tree was only 20' tall and was erected by construction workers. It was decorated with strings of paper, cranberries and tin cans.


Seventy six years later, this years tree stands 72' tall and weighs nearly eight tons. The ginormous Norway spruce was decorated with five miles of energy-efficient LED lights and was topped with a 750-pound star made of 25,000 Swarovski crystals (I'd say yes to anyone who gave me one of those. Who needs a diamond when you've got 750 lbs of crystal that glows?).



I recently visited the tree after attending the New York Palace Hotel's Christmas tree lighting (So beautiful!!!). My picture doesn't do the tree justice (it was raining and gross), so I recommend taking a trip in and seeing it for yourself. The tree isn't the only entertainment in the center. We had a great time seeing the angels, watching the ice skaters and the Saks Fifth Avenue Snowflake light show and meeting up with characters like Santa, Big Bird and the boys in blue...


...who informed me that people take just as many pictures of them as they do of the tree. Rockefeller Center is a tourist hot spot during the holiday season, and under the influence of the hundreds of people around me snapping their disposable cameras I was compelled to take a few shots. I am from Jersey...


For more information on the tree, visit TheTreeNYC.