Karmactive Staff
The most famous Christmas tree in the world will soon arrive in New York City. The 74-foot-tall Norway spruce, which will serve as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, is on its way to Manhattan after being cut down Thursday in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where it was donated by a family. The tree is traveling 140 miles and will arrive at Rockefeller Center on Saturday.
Erik Pauze, Rockefeller Center’s head gardener responsible for finding the tree and helping transport it, said he first saw this green giant in 2020. “I saw the beautiful Norway spruce while driving down the road, and it was right in front of me,” he said according to the Rockefeller Center newsletter. “I knocked on the door and met Earl Albert. I asked if he would ever consider donating the tree to Rockefeller Center. His answer was immediately yes.”
The tree has a deeply personal story. Shawn Albert, Earl Albert’s daughter-in-law, recalled that Pauze came by two days after Earl Albert’s wife, Lesley, passed away. She said her father-in-law immediately agreed to donate the tree, taking it as a sign from Lesley, who loved Christmas. The family decorated the tree with Christmas lights every year. The family couldn’t hold a funeral for Lesley Albert due to the pandemic, so Thursday’s event, which included caroling that sent the tree off, was a way to remember her, the Alberts said.
“She was such an important part of the community,” Shawn Albert said in a video of the event provided by Rockefeller Center. “For me, this is like her gathering that we can finally have and finally honor her.” Michael Albert, Shawn’s husband and Lesley Albert’s son, remembered that his mother was a nurse and a “generous person,” so sharing the tree with the community made sense. “Let it go to New York City and let the world see it,” he said.
The towering spruce weighs approximately 11 tons and has a 43-foot diameter. It’s particularly historic as it’s the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree to come from Massachusetts since 1959. The tree has drawn lots of attention in West Stockbridge, with both locals and tourists flocking to see it in recent days as workers prepared it for its journey. Around 1,300 people gathered on a crisp morning to witness the historic tree cutting, as reported by 1010 WINS Radio Station, whose representative was present there while the cutting of the tree.
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The tree has even attracted international visitors. Michael and Tania Hardinger, tourists from Denmark, flew to New York and drove north to see the tree last weekend, before it was cut down. Hardinger said the trip was inspired by their love of Christmas, as the family has two and sometimes three Christmas trees in their Copenhagen home. Both musicians will return to Denmark to give some concerts before returning to New York to do some Christmas shopping and visit the tree again, this time at Rockefeller Center. “We’re big on Christmas and the Rockefeller tree is something we must see every year,” said Hardinger. “It’s so beautiful and it’s fantastic.”
The tree’s arrival at Rockefeller Center on Saturday, November 9th, will be celebrated with special events at the South Plaza from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m EST. The Rock and Roll Playhouse will perform Christmas classics for children, and the independent bookstore McNally Jackson will offer storytelling sessions. Children will also be able to write letters to Santa Claus, decorate ornaments, and get their faces painted. (… and there will be many more fun activities.)
The lighting ceremony will be on December 4th (in the live broadcast “Christmas at Rockefeller Center”) in the evening, and the tree will feature 50,000 multicolored LED lights and a Swarovski star crown. Starting December 4th, the tree will be lit daily from 5 a.m. to midnight. On Christmas Eve, it will remain lit for 24 hours, and on New Year’s Eve, it will be lit from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m. The tree display will continue until mid-January.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has been a national tradition every year since 1933.
