Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is brought in and lit up annually in New York City's Rockefeller center. The tree has been officially lit every year since 1933, but in 1931 and 1932 workers near the center put a tree up. Every year, people from all over the country take photos of their trees and submit them in hopes their tree will be picked and the manager of Rockefeller gardens will take numerous helicopter flights in search of the perfect tree. The tree that was erected in 2008 is a Norway spruce from New Jersey and weighs over eight tons.¹²

Fast Facts

1. Erecting the tree in Rockefeller Center has been a tradition since 1931
2. First official tree: 1933
3. Common species: Norway spruce¹
4. Ideal dimensions: 65 feet tall, 35 feet wide¹
5. 2008 erection date: November 14, 2008
6. 2008 lighting date: December 3, 2008³
7. Tallest tree: 100 feet from Killingworth, Connecticut in 1948¹
8. Farthest distance: 518 miles from Ottawa, Canada in 1966¹
9. First televised lighting: 1951 on the Kate Smith Show¹
10. First recycled in 1974 for mulch¹
11. Each year one tree provides over 3 tons of mulch¹
12. The first official tree in 1932 had 700 lights¹
13. The 2007 tree had 30,000 lights⁴
14. The tree stays up until the week after New Year's Day

2008 Tree

In 2008, the tree came from western New Jersey. The massive eight ton tree was hauled to the center on November 14, 2008. The owner of the tree, Bill Varanyak, says the tree was originally their first family Christmas tree they replanted 77 years ago. The family believes the tree to be a "miracle" because their now departed mother wished the tree to go to the Rockefeller Center for many years before her death.⁵

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