On December 4th, the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony was held at the iconic Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York. Despite the overcast weather and near freezing temperatures around 0 degrees Celsius during the day, with forecasts of light rain in the evening, visitors from all over braved the cold to queue up early at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, eagerly waiting for the tree to be lit at 8 p.m.
As one of the focal winter activities in New York every year, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony attracted global attention. This year, the Christmas tree was adorned with over 50,000 LED lights and the total length of the wiring exceeded 5 kilometers. The moment the lights came on, it became a visually stunning spectacle that touched the hearts of all who witnessed it.
Before 3 p.m., crowds of people had already started to pour into the venue. The Rhomy family from the Philippines happened to be passing by and decided to stay for the lighting ceremony. Excitedly, Rhomy said, “We are fortunate to be standing so close to the tree, waiting for it to light up around seven or eight o’clock.”
This was Rhomy’s fifth time attending the lighting ceremony, and the first time being this close to the Christmas tree. He found it particularly meaningful as they were in New York to celebrate his wife’s birthday, which fell on November 28th. Using this opportunity, he expressed his wish for his wife, children, and family to remain healthy and safe.
Courtney and her mother from Salt Lake City, Utah, along with a group of eight others, arrived at the venue around 12:30 p.m. It was their first time attending the Christmas tree lighting ceremony as a family, and an important part of their trip to New York. Courtney said, “We are all thrilled and hope to spend a wonderful holiday season together as a family.” Accompanying them, Alyssa added that the trip was also in memory of their late grandmother, who had a deep love for Christmas.
The evening’s celebration was lively and included performances by various celebrities, including Kelly Clarkson, with New York City Mayor Adams joining in the festivities. As the countdown began, “3, 2, 1”, the Christmas tree, adorned with over fifty thousand colorful lights, instantly lit up. At the top, a 900-pound star-shaped decoration sparkled with 3 million Swarovski crystals, creating a truly awe-inspiring sight.
This year’s Christmas tree is a 57-year-old Norway spruce from Massachusetts, planted by the Albert family in 1967, now towering over 74 feet (approximately 20 meters) and weighing around 11 tons. This marks the first time since 1959 that a tree from Massachusetts has been chosen for the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree lighting ceremony has become a significant holiday tradition in New York, attracting thousands of visitors every year since its inception in 1931. This year, the tree will be illuminated from 5 a.m. to midnight daily and will shine 24 hours on Christmas day, continuing until New Year’s Eve and finally taken down in mid-January.
The star-shaped decoration atop the Christmas tree was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind and made its debut in 2018. The star symbolizes peace, adorned with 3 million crystals that emit 70 brilliant rays of light. Libeskind explained its significance at the time, stating that the star symbolizes peace, transcending faith, race, and borders, connecting humanity together, which is its true beauty.