1931

As the Great Depression continued, construction workers purchased and decorated a 20-foot-tall tree at the Rockefeller Center construction site on Christmas Eve 1931. According to Thrillist, they added just a few decorations: cranberries, paper garlands, and tin cans.

1934

According to TIME, the first official tree lighting ceremony took place in 1933, organized by a Rockefeller Center publicist. The following years produced slightly larger – and much brighter – trees.

1936

In 1936, two trees were erected to celebrate the opening of the now-famous Rockefeller Center ice skating rink.

1950

Rockefeller Center played a big role in the television boom of the 1950s and led to even more lush trees. The tree made its first television appearance on The Howdy Doody ShowDecorations ranged from cranberries and popcorn to red garland, white plastic balls, icicle lights and wiry white angel trumpeters.

1955

According to the Rockefeller Center website, in the 1950s, “Workers began using scaffolding to decorate the trees. Before the decade was over, the process required 20 men and a period of nine days.”

1962

Trees—which are generally donated, not purchased, and scouted by Rockefeller Center’s garden team—got bigger and better throughout the 1960s. In 1963 there was another historic first: the wood from the tree was recycled and donated to a Boy Scout group.

1970

As evergreens grew larger, the ways to transport them from their “homes” to New York City became more creative – like when a tree was floated down the Hudson River on a barge, or when the world’s largest transport plane, one Anatov 124, flew in a tree from Ohio (via the Rockefeller Center website).

1973

According to Thrillist, this isn’t like your home Christmas tree: Cold outside temperatures keep it fresh, so it doesn’t need water.

1982

In the 1980s, the tree reached another milestone: most of the lights were used. In 1986, there were a then-record 20,000 lights, as described on the Rockefeller Center website.

1996

The 1996 tree was pretty great, but what came in 1999 was even bigger: the largest Rockefeller Center tree ever, coming from Killingworth, Connecticut, and standing 100 feet tall.

2004

The 2001 tree had special meaning as it honored the people who died in the terrorist attack on September 11th that year. The decorations were red, white and blue; However, in 2004 it became multi-colored again and featured a star made of Swarovski crystals – a tradition that continues to this day.

2016

As Curbed NY reported, the centerpiece of 2016 was the second largest tree to ever grace Rockefeller Center, standing at 94 feet tall and weighing 14 tons. Angie and Graig Eichler of Oneonta, NY, donated the spruce tree that was over the George Washington Bridge reached Manhattan.

2017

According to NBC News, the spruce tree weighed 12 tons and stood 75 feet tall in 2017 and came from Jason Perrin of State College, Pennsylvania.

2018

The 75-year-old Norway spruce, 72 feet tall, “grew up” 70 miles outside of Manhattan in upstate Wallkill, New York. According to the Rockefeller Center website, the tree lived on the property of New York transplants and recently retired retirees Shirley Figueroa and Lissette Gutierrez. Pauze had visited five years earlier.

2019

Carol Schultz of Florida, NY, planted her tree 60 years ago in hopes that one day it would be like this The Rockefeller Center tree.

“I would talk to him every now and then since he’s little,” she said The New York Times in 2019.

The message: “One day it will be you There.”

Schultz called the 77-foot-tall spruce her “80th.” Birthday present to the world”.

2020

“Can you see it? Girlfriend just needed better lighting and a few upgrades.” TODAY‘s Savannah Guthrie joked on Instagram after the 2020 lighting of the tree, which sparked some controversy after appearing quite sparse upon arrival in NYC

The 75-foot-tall spruce tree was found at Daddy Al’s General Store in Oneonta, NY. After it was put up, the tree caused quite a stir online thanks to some bare spots and not-so-strong branches.

“Wow, you all must look great after a two-day ride, right?” The Rockefeller Center Instagram account responded to commenters, adding, “Just wait until I turn my lights on!”

Before the grand lighting on December 2nd, crews added some branches to the tree – along with the signature glittering decor.

2021

This 79-foot-tall spruce was discovered in Elkton, Maryland, making it the first tree from the Old Line State.

It was donated from the garden of the Price family, who were present in New York when the 80-year-old tree arrived in the Big Apple in mid-November.

“We never imagined that a tree on our property would be chosen for Rockefeller Center. No, not in a million years,” said Devon Price during an appearance TODAY on November 12, 2021. “As a family, we went from, ‘No, we can’t let go of this tree,’ to now, we’re worried about it. We are worried about how he survived a storm or a heavy rain. strong wind. We are very excited that we are going to New York City.

2022

The 2022 tree was lit on the night of November 30, illuminated by 50,000 LED light bulbs and a glowing Swarovski star at the top.

Accordingly TODAYThe Norway spruce was 82 feet tall, 50 feet wide and weighed 14 tons. Periwinkle, 85, was from Queensbury, NY, a small town about three and a half hours north of NYC. The Rockefeller Center shared a video on Instagram about the early stages of the tree’s journey to Manhattan.

The stunning topper was covered in 3 million crystals and weighed nearly 900 pounds each TODAY.

2023

At its 91st lighting ceremony, the center unveiled an 80-foot-tall Norwegian spruce tree decorated with 50,000 lights — the equivalent of 5 miles of wire, according to NBC News.

Shipped from Vestal, New York, the 43-foot-wide beauty featured 70 spires adorned with 3 million crystals and was topped with a 900-pound spire. Sparkling 3D Swarovski star with 30 million crystals.

Rockefeller Center’s head gardener, Pauze, happened upon the tree — said to be between 80 and 85 years old and weighed 12 tons — in Matt and Jackie McGinley’s yard while exploring Broome County.

“Just before I knocked on the door, someone told them, ‘This looks like a Rockefeller Center Christmas tree,'” he recalled to The Center Magazine in 2023.

“When I saw it, I knew it would work,” he said. “I just had to shorten the branches to a length of 1.5 to 1.8 m. The tree has a beautiful shape and looks beautiful. When you stand on the street and look at it against the blue sky, it looks really great.”