NEW YORK (AP) Crowds came to watch the annual New York City tradition cheered Wednesday evening as fifty-thousand multicolored lights were lighted on the iconic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.
A Swarovski star crown with three million crystals is also placed on the enormous Norway spruce, which this year comes from a small Massachusetts village.
Last month, the 74-foot (23-meter) tree was felled in West Stockbridge and transported by truck to Rockefeller Plaza. The ceremony on Wednesday night was the last stop in the tree’s lengthy journey to New York, which started in 2020 when the head gardener at the center saw the tree and asked its owners if they would consider donating it.
The well-known seasonal attraction, which is situated above the ice rink at Rockefeller Center, will remain open until the middle of January. The tree will be lighted all day on Christmas Day.
The tree will be turned into lumber for Habitat for Humanity after the holidays are over.
Following the Wednesday morning shooting death of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan, just five blocks from Rockefeller Center, security was increased for the yearly tree-lighting ceremony. Jeffrey B. Maddrey, the chief of department, stated earlier in the day that there will be a large police presence, including more policemen in the subway.
“People will continue to enjoy the tree lighting tonight, even though it’s a terrible event,” he said.
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