The 2023 Rockefeller Christmas tree has already been selected. Like all trees for this celebrated position, it is a Norway spruce, and this year’s tree is already sparking the imagination with its solid frame, towering height, and inspiring presence.
The Rockefeller Center announced its official selection for the 2023 Christmas tree on November 1 via social media. It comes from Vestal, a suburb in western Binghamton, New York. The tree will be cut on November 9 and arrive at its new festive home on November 11.
The 2023 Rockefeller Christmas tree has been chosen
Meet the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 🌲
This year’s Tree is from Vestal, New York, weighs in at about 12 tons, and stands 80 feet tall. The Tree will arrive on Center Plaza Saturday, November 11. Follow along for more updates right here. pic.twitter.com/yjP6vCshbO
— Rockefeller Center (@rockcenternyc) November 1, 2023
Rockefeller Center head gardener Erik Pauze has chosen the ceremonial tree for the last 30 years. He is tasked with finding the tree, watering it, trimming it, and transporting the colossal plant. He discovered this year’s pick while scouting out a totally different tree in nearby Broome County. Along the way, he spotted this towering spruce in the yard of the McGinley family and knocked on their door to inquire further.
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He’s not the only one to think the family’s tree deserves a place at that illuminated mantle. “Not too long before I knocked on the door, someone told them, ‘That looks like a Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree,'” shared Pauze. “I knew when I saw it that it was going to work,” he continued. “I just had to trim the branches up to 5 or 6 feet. It’s a nice shaped tree, and it looks beautiful. When you stand in the street, and look at it against the blue sky, it really looks awesome.”
The tradition has grown exponentially over the years
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree’s history stretches back to 1931 when workers all pitched in to obtain and decorate a balsam fir. That one stood at around 20 feet tall. The 2023 Rockefeller tree, which is 85 years old, stands at 80 feet tall, weighs 12 tons, and is 43 feet wide. Even this isn’t the tallest the Center’s tree has ever been; last year’s was 82 and the tallest was 1999’s, standing at an overwhelming 100 feet tall.
The lighting ceremony for this year’s tree will take place on Wednesday, November 29. Then, viewers can see it fully adorned in 50,000 lights – that’s about five miles of wire – and topped by a Swarovski star comprised of 70 spikes and three million individual crystals, all weighing at about 900 pounds. This topper has been around since 2004.
NBC will air the tree-lighting ceremony at 8 p.m. on November 29. The tree will remain up until January 13, 2024.
Have you ever seen the Rockefeller tree in person?
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