Over the years I have really enjoyed going to Rockefeller Center in New York City and seeing the beautiful Christmas tree. The tree lighting ceremony is pretty spectacular year after year. A few facts about the tree in Rockefeller Center:
- The tree is typically a Norway Spruce.
- The minimum requirement is that the tree be 65 feet tall and 35 feet wide
- There is no compensation offered in exchange for the tree, other than the pride of having donated the tree that appears in Rockefeller Center.
- Over five miles of lights are used to decorate the tree every year.
- Only the lights and the star decorate the tree.
- The tree is recycled and the 3 tons of mulch are donated to the Boy Scouts.
- The largest portion of the trunk is donated to the U.S. Equestrian Team in New Jersey to use as an obstacle jump.
Living in Boston, I would also go and see the tree at the Prudential Center in Downtown Boston. Since that tree pales in comparison to Rockefeller Center, I won’t even mention anything about it.
In the past few years we have had a nice tree. The kids seem to really like it and enjoy decorating and of course watching yours truly balance himself on a ladder to place the decorations on the top of the 12-14 foot tree.
- What does your tree look like?
- Do you have a tree decorating party?
- Do you have a collection of ornaments that you showcase?
- Do you have a place that you go to cut down your tree?
I look forward to having you share your comments and hearing about your traditions.
Happy holidays!
Patricia says:
We have an artificial spruce tree, 7 1/2 feet tall. I love the real ones, but both my daughter and I are are allergic so we admire those from afar.
When the tree was “mine” (pre-husband and children), it was decorated with all coordinating ornaments, lights, garland – whatever matched. Over the past 15 years, it has evolved into a showcase of ornaments that have alot of sentimental value. We have special ornaments that the kids have chosen or made and we try to get an ornament when we travel to a new destination so we reminisce every year when we decorate. It is beautiful now for very different reasons than when it was beautifully decorated.
Stephenie Gordon says:
My husband and I go to Sean’s every year to buy our tree. The owner of Sean’s is probably in his late 20′s and he works some 9 to 5 job where he has negotiated to take a month off to have a Christmas tree lot. We always go the day after Thanksgiving, because we know that on Thanksgiving at 5am, Sean (well actually his name is Ryan, his brother is Sean) goes to North Carolina and hand selects his lot of trees for the year. You get the best and freshest if you go the day after Thanksgiving. Ryan is so excited about selling Christmas trees you can’t help but buy from him. That 20 minute of tree hunting with Ryan is one of our favorite parts of the entire holiday season! His spirit is contagious.
Our living room only has 8 foot ceilings so our tree is about 7 feet. I decorate it in all silver, with snowflakes and silver bells that my godmother has been giving me since i was born. I love it!
Michael Halberstam says:
We have a Hanukkah bush decorated with white and blue lights. Hanukkah Harry visits each year and leaves many more than 8 presents for my daughter. We decorate the tree with ornaments from past and present, getting at least one new one each year. Hanukkah Harry is a very stealthy guy. His fuel isn’t milk and cookies but latkes and mandel bread. Occasionally, he will require a macaroon as well. We put a Yamulke on our dog Biscuit and he acts as a de facto reindeer.
Leslie says:
this year I dug up a 3 foot fir volunteer from my garden — planted it in a pot… if it survives, I’ll replant it and use it again next year!! talk about recycling…. ! Leslie Case
Christopher Dallion says:
The past several years I’ve had an artificial tree but this year we went with a 6 1/2 foot Douglas fir. I get to run the lights then the kids put up the ornaments. My mother had a tradition of buying one special ornament each year for me & my sister which I have carried over to my children. We put up all of Daddy’s ornaments plus the ones they have which leaves room for only a few of the standard glass balls.
I only have a few ornaments that no one but me is allowed to put on the tree – the Casablanca Hallmark ornaments from several years ago as well as a small plastic Nativity scene that I’ve had for 30 years.
Anne Brown says:
We have been going to the same family owned tree farm ever since B was in pre school. For the past 4 years, my daughter has cut the tree down herself. She always picks our Christmas tree. This year it is 9.5 ft tall and probably 5 ft wide. It did not fit in the bailer this year, so it had to be rolled and tied.
Our decorations have been collected over the past 35 years from Morocco, Prague, Charleston, California and ??.
Family rituals make the holidays special.
I wish all the blessings of family holiday rituals this year!
Blessings to all for a special holiday this year!
Adam Jolley says:
Growing up in Kentucky, I can’t ever remember a year not having a real tree. Every year, my family would go out into some awful muddy field on the coldest day of the year via hay wagon. My father would make each one of us take 10 strokes with the saw and ultimately he’d finish up. My greatest memories of the experience were the netting machine and cider each year. Its amazing how much I miss that then dreadful experience now that I live in downtown Cincinnati and most tree are either fake or already cut. Currently my fiancee and I have an all snowman tree. Snowman garland, snowman ornaments, snowman lights, and snowman angel. I believe the only places in the western hemisphere you can find this are in our study and Macy’s in Manhattan. Kind of makes me wish I was all muddy-kneed in Nowhereville, KY all over again.
Omi Cantor says:
Hi Merrill D,
We do not have nor have we ever had a tree. Instead, we have tiny candles that burn so brightly they produce a glow that lasts for 8 days. Ours is a story of religious freedom which is still being fought two thousand years later. It is so special for us.
Omi
Mike MacLeod says:
Today, I took my son and wife to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. It was the first time for all of us. 65 feet tall sounds, big, but I hate to say I was mildly disappointed when I first saw it. In movies and television, the tree appears to be 150 FEET TALL!!
However, the disappointment was short-lived. It was still very beautiful! Plus, we saw a marriage proposal in the middle of the skating rink!
Mike
Kelly Heatly says:
Merrill — nice topic. I enjoyed reading others’ special traditions.
We always get a real tree. The smell is very nostalgic for me. This year, we bought a modest-sized Frazier fur, which has very kid-friendly branches for hanging ornaments. With two young children, there are a whole bunch of non-breakable, artsy-crafty ornaments clustered at the bottom. Then, my Christopher Radko glass ornaments are way at the top! Decorating the tree always involves hot chocolate and bourbon-spiked eggnog.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Mike,
Glad your family had a chance to see the tree for the first time. I actually saw the tree at Rockefeller Center last week from a cab but wasn’t lucky enough to see a marriage proposal.
Happy holiday’s.
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
Kelly,
What a great tradition! I think I need to come over to your house for some of the hot chocolate and bourbon-spiked eggnog!
Happy holiday’s.
Merrill
Matt Gershner says:
Despite the existence of a bar mitzvah in my past (don’t ask how many years ago), I too love the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
I actually used to work at the rink picking up people when they fell down. I had this job for 6 or 7 (I forget actually) holiday seasons, starting in college and continuing through my first couple of jobs for extra money.
Here’s some fun facts:
It’s one of the smallest ice rinks in the nation.
Each session on the ice is 90 minutes long with 30 minutes to clean the ice in between.
I would estimate that I saw roughly 1 proposal per session each shift I worked from Xmas eve through New Year’s.
Most of the guys proposing hadn’t thought through the part of having to get down on one knee on skates on the ice. We typically had to help them.
Most people stand way too close to the tree and therefore don’t get a good shot of them and the tree.
Bigger than life celebrities are humorously humbled by ice skates.
I have a ton of great memories of working there and every so often, I go back on Xmas eve to go skating.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Matt,
I never knew you worked there – thanks for sharing the great memories and of course some additional facts about the tree.
Happy holiday’s.
Merrill
Deb Forte says:
We have an artificial spruce tree, 7 1/2 feet tall. It is from Front Gate Magizine and the lights are already attached love it. I take my sweet time decorating it to look like it came out of a magizine. I new this year I did a great job when one of the teenagers friends walked in and said “Hey Miss Debbie that looks like a Macy’s Tree” I guess I did a great job.
We also join in on a tree contest. A friend of ours host it by renting a bus 25 of us jump aboard and we visit 6 different homes that want to be judge. There is 6 judges. Style, design, real or fake that is ok. We all have to serve a drink and an app. We spend 30 mins at each house and end at the winner from last year and they host a dinner party.
Everyone gets very creative. We made green and red jello shots in small containers and hung them on the tree. That was our drink and of course we had a yummy app. It is a fun way to get into the spirit.
Rock on !! Merry Christmas!! DEB