NEW YORK – The 2021 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will not come from New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania as it often does; this time, this year’s tree comes from Maryland.
The massive 79-foot-tall spruce bush was donated by a family in Elkton, Maryland, and will be cut on November 11. It is scheduled to arrive at Rockefeller Center Plaza on November 13.
Upon arrival, the tree will be dressed in 50,000 lights and crowned with a Swarovski crystal star.
It will light up the night of December 1 on a live broadcast on NBC.
Here are some historical facts about the Rockefeller Center tree:
1931 – The workers who built Rockefeller Center put up a Christmas tree and it was Rockefeller Center’s first Christmas tree.
1933 – It was Rockefeller Center’s first formal tree lighting ceremony. The tree was decorated with 700 lights in front of the building that until now was eight months old.
1936 – Two trees were installed, each 70 feet (21.3 m) tall. For the first time, the lighting ceremony included a skating contest at the newly opened Rockefeller Plaza outdoor ice skating rink.
1942 – Three trees were placed in Rockefeller Plaza, one decorated in red, one in white, and one in blue to show support for our troops who served during WWII.
1949 – The tree was painted silver, to make it look like snow.
1951 – The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was first lit on national television during the Kate Smith Show.
1966 – The first tree that was cut outside the United States is installed. It was delivered by Canada, in honor of the Centennial of its Confederacy. This is the farthest distance a tree has ever traveled to Rockefeller Center.
1980 – For the 50th anniversary of the tree’s illumination, a 70-foot-tall (21.3 m) Norway Spruce came from the grounds of the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Mahwah, NJ. Bob Hope participated in the event.
1999 – The largest tree in Rockefeller Center history, 100 feet tall (30.5 m), came from Killingworth, Connecticut.
2004 – The star designed by Swarovski became the largest star that has ever adorned the tree.
2007 – For the first time, the tree was lit with energy efficient LEDs. They consume a fraction of the energy traditionally required by the tree, reducing energy consumption from 3,510 kWh to 1,297 kWh per day, saving as much energy as a single family would use in a month in an area of 2,000 square feet (185.8 m²) home. Hundreds of solar panels atop one of the Rockefeller Center buildings help power the new LEDs.
2020 – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no direct access to the public during the tree’s arrival at Rock Center in 2020. Important events in the Big Apple during the holidays were canceled, such as the popular Christmas Spectacular on Radio City Music Hall with the famous high kick Rockettes.
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