See How the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Has Dramatically Changed from 1931 to Now
- - See How the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Has Dramatically Changed from 1931 to Now
Kate Hogan, Paris C., Emily KrauserDecember 23, 2025 at 5:45 AM
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Gary Hershorn/Getty
The Christmas tree shines bright at Rockefeller Center in New York City on Dec. 18, 2024. -
The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, erected in 1931, was a modest, 20-foot-tall decoration
During the 93rd lighting ceremony for the 2025 holiday season, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree came from East Greenbush, N.Y.
In recent years, trees have been adorned with a striking, 900-lb. Swarovski star
It's been nearly 100 years since the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree became a part of holiday history, and it's still a cornerstone of New York City (and worldwide!) celebrations today.
The first Christmas tree went up in Midtown Manhattan in 1931, when construction workers placed a small fir at the Rockefeller Center construction site. Since then, the evergreens have only gotten larger and grander, and it's estimated that about 750,000 people visit the plaza daily.
Erik Pauze, the head gardener at the Rockefeller Center, has selected the cherished Christmas centerpiece for over 30 years.
"What I look for is a tree you would want in your living room but on a grander scale," Pauze told The Center Magazine in October 2025. "It needs to make people smile the second they see it."
Take a look back at the history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree throughout the years.
01 of 20
1931
AP Photo
Construction workers line up for pay the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City in 1931.
Construction workers purchased and decorated a 20-foot balsam fir in the Rockefeller Center construction site on Christmas Eve 1931 as the Great Depression persisted.
According to Thrillist, the workers added just a few decorations: cranberries, paper garland and tin cans. They received their paychecks later that night, at the foot of the tree.
02 of 20
1934
MCNY/Gottscho-Schleisner/Getty The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City in 1934.
The first official tree lighting ceremony, organized by a publicist for Rockefeller Center, took place in 1933, according to TIME.
The years that followed brought bigger and brighter trees. In 1936, there was even double the fun when two trees were erected to celebrate the opening of the now-famous ice skating rink at Rockefeller Plaza, per the Rockefeller Center.
03 of 20
1949
Morse Collection/Gado/Getty
The illuminated Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is photographed at night in N.Y.C. on Dec. 21, 1949.
The 1940s were a unique decade for the tree.
In 1941, four reindeer were placed in pens around the tree and were later brought to the Bronx Zoo.
Not long after, a somber tone hung over holiday festivities across the U.S. due to World War II. The Rockefeller tree was no exception, going unlit from 1942 to 1944 due to wartime blackout regulations, though not bare. In 1942, three small trees showed their support for the nation's war efforts through red, white and blue unlit globes and painted wooden stars.
Then, in 1949, the tree was painted silver (pictured above), apparently to give a more wintry feel to the festivities.
04 of 20
1950
Frederic Lewis/Getty The Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza in N.Y.C., circa the 1950s.
Rockefeller Center played a big role in the TV boom of the 1950s, translating to even more opulent trees.
The tree lighting ceremony was broadcast for the first time on the Kate Smith Evening Hour in 1951 and later appeared on The Howdy Doody Show, per Thrillist.
Performers in contemporary years have included Kelly Clarkson (also a host!), Gwen Stefani, Diana Ross, Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin and Tony Bennett.
05 of 20
1955
Morse Collection/Gado/Getty
The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza in N.Y.C. in December 1955.
In the 1950s, scaffolding was used to help workers decorate the large trees, per the Rockefeller Center website. By the end of the decade, the process utilized 20 men over nine days.
The towering eight-foot-tall trumpeting wire angels, designed by sculptor Valerie Clarebout, made their debut in the Channel Gardens in 1955. Clarebout, who died in 1982 at age 74, created 12 angels, each requiring 75 lbs. of metal wire, according to The Center Magazine. She is the only artist whose work is removed and reinstalled each year.
"I love them. I love this time of year. Since I was a child, I had a tremendous feeling for Christmas quite apart from a religious holiday," Clarebout told The New York Times in December 1981. "I used to lie on the ground, and I thought I could feel the earth being reborn. That's how I always thought of Christmas — as the rebirth of the earth. And now, of course, every year I think of it as bringing the angels back to life."
06 of 20
1962
AP Photo
The Christmas tree outside Rockefeller Center in N.Y.C. in 1962.
The trees — which are generally donated, not purchased, and scouted by the Rockefeller Center gardening team — continued to get bigger and better throughout the 1960s.
There were also two historic firsts in the decade: In 1963, the tree's wood was recycled and donated to a Boy Scouts troop, and in 1966, a white spruce from Canada became the first tree to be picked from outside the U.S, according to New York City Tourism & Conventions. That 64-foot white spruce hailed from Ottawa and made the longest trip ever for a Rockefeller tree, traveling nearly 450 miles to Manhattan.
07 of 20
1970
David Herman/Archive Photos/Getty
The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in N.Y.C., circa 1970.
Both the 1970 and 1971 trees came from Vermont. The former was a 60-foot white spruce from Coventry, while the latter was a 65-foot Balsam fir from East Montpelier.
The year 1971 also marked the start of Rockefeller Center turning trees into mulch after their time in the plaza in efforts to be more environmentally friendly. That year, the mulch became part of nature trails in upper Manhattan, per Thrillist.
08 of 20
1973
Bettmann Archive/Getty The Christmas tree outside Rockefeller Center in N.Y.C. in 1973.
It's not only their size that makes Rockefeller Center's showstoppers so different from typical household trees. Since these beauties remain outdoors in cold temperatures, they don't require watering, as indoor heating doesn't dry them out, per The New York Times.
The plaza pieces also have their highest branches decorated with ornaments, lighting and a star first before they're placed upright. A steel rod is drilled into the tree's trunk to ensure it's securely fastened to the base.
09 of 20
1981
Bettmann Archive
The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center during the 49th annual lighting ceremony on Dec. 7, 1981.
The year 1981 marked the last time a tree other than a Norway spruce was brought to Rockefeller Plaza, per the N.Y.C. Tourism website. That tree made its way south from West Danville, Vt., making it the last to have hailed from the Green Mountain State.
Though others have traveled from New England (most of those from Connecticut), the majority of the trees throughout Rockefeller Center's history originated in New York and New Jersey.
10 of 20
1995
ROBERT MILLER/AFP via Getty
Santa Claus and the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes celebrate the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in N.Y.C. on Dec. 5, 1995.
There were a few unique circumstances for the trees of the 1990s.
The 1995 tree's trip to Manhattan was more than a decade in the making. For years, Guy Torsilleri and his family's landscaping company have selected, transported and set up the Rockefeller tree. According to The New York Times, Torsilleri spotted the evergreen (pictured above) back in 1984 while driving past the Mallinckrodt Convent in Mendham, N.J.
Though the nuns initially said they would never part with the tree, its age became a safety concern, and in November 1995, they agreed to let it be cut down in a ceremony that included holy water. It later became immortalized in the 1996 novella The Christmas Tree.
The means of getting some of the largest trees to N.Y.C. also got creative in the 1990s, with three notable exceptions to the trees' typical trips via bridge (preferable to the tight squeeze of a tunnel), accompanied by police escorts. The 1997 tree arrived in Manhattan from Stony Point, N.Y., aboard a barge floating down the Hudson River, while in 1998, the world's largest transport plane, an Anatov An-124 Ruslan, brought a tree in from Richfield, Ohio.
The decade closed out with Rockefeller Plaza's largest tree ever. Hailing from Killingworth, Conn., 1999's Norway spruce stood 100 feet tall and made its way to Manhattan by ferry.
11 of 20
2004
STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty
The band Chicago performs onstage during the 72nd annual lighting ceremony of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in N.Y.C. on Nov. 30, 2004.
The 2001 tree had special significance. Honoring the lives lost during the terror attacks on Sept. 11 of that year, the decorations were in red, white and blue.
By 2004, multicolored hues returned. That was also the first year a Swarovski star adorned the tree (pictured above), and it's been a staple ever since. The topper weighed 550 lbs., was covered in 25,000 crystals and 1 million facets, and had a diameter of nearly 10 feet.
In 2007, two more traditions began. The lumber from each tree was donated to Habitat for Humanity, and that continues to this day, per The Center Magazine. Additionally, LED lights were introduced, most of which are still in use. The lights are powered by 300 solar panels located on the roof of One Rockefeller Center.
12 of 20
2016
Noam Galai/WireImage
A view of the Christmas tree during the 84th annual lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in N.Y.C. on Nov. 30, 2016.
The second-largest tree to ever grace Rockefeller Center was 2016's centerpiece. Angie and Graig Eichler of Oneonta, N.Y., donated the Norway spruce, which stood 94 feet tall and weighed 14 tons. The evergreen made its way into Manhattan over the George Washington Bridge.
Pauze spotted the tree while traveling through Upstate New York in search of the perfect evergreen. He knocked on the Eichlers' door, and the family was "thrilled" to become part of Manhattan's Christmas history.
"We love our town, and we're so proud that part of Oneonta can be shared with so many people who will see it at Rockefeller Center this holiday season," the Eichlers said in a written statement to CNN at the time.
13 of 20
2018
Nicholas Hunt/WireImage Kellie Pickler performs during the 86th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in N.Y.C. on Nov. 28, 2018.
The 75-year-old Norway spruce, standing 72 feet tall and weighing 12 tons, "grew up" 70 miles outside Manhattan in Wallkill, N.Y.
The tree lived on the property of N.Y.C. transplants and recent retirees Shirley Figueroa and Lissette Gutierrez, and Pauze had visited it five years prior.
"After we bought the house, the previous owner told us, 'Hey, by the way, the tree in the yard? Rockefeller Center has been scouting it,' " Figueroa, who grew up in the Bronx, told NBC New York in November 2018. "I didn't believe it. Until they came knocking on the door."
The couple had named the tree "Shelby" and gave it a final hug before it was chopped down. Shelby was also historic — she was the first to be donated by a same-sex or Latinx couple, per NBC News.
A new Swarovski star also topped the tree in 2018. Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, the stunning three-dimensional piece was backlit by LEDs, featured 3 million Swarovski crystals on 70 triangular spikes and weighed about 900 lbs.
14 of 20
2019
Benno Schwinghammer/picture alliance/Getty
The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in N.Y. C. after the annual lighting ceremony on Dec. 4, 2019.
Carol Schultz of Florida, N.Y., planted her tree 60 years prior, hoping it would someday be the Rockefeller Center tree.
"I would talk to it now and then since it's been small," she told The New York Times in 2019. The message? "Someday you're going to be there."
Schultz called the 77-foot Norway spruce her "80th birthday present to the world."
15 of 20
2020
Heidi Gutman/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
The Christmas tree outside Rockefeller Center in N.Y.C. in 2020.
The 75-foot spruce was found at Daddy Al's General Store in Oneonta. After it went up, the tree sparked numerous online discussions, as it appeared quite sparse upon its arrival in N.Y.C.
"Wow, you all must look great right after a two-day drive, huh?" the Rockefeller Center Instagram account responded to commenters, adding, "Just wait until I get my lights on!"
Crews added some branches to the tree and the signature sparkly décor before the big lighting on Dec. 2, 2020.
"See? Girlfriend just needed better lighting and a few extensions," Today show host Savannah Guthrie joked on Instagram after the lighting of the tree.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held without a public audience. Visitation time was also limited and included social distancing measures.
16 of 20
2021
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree during the 89th annual lighting ceremony in N.Y.C. on Dec. 1, 2021.
This 79-foot Norway spruce was scouted from Elkton, Md., making it the first tree from the Old Line State.
It was donated by the Price family, who were present for the 80-year-old tree's arrival in the Big Apple in mid-November 2021.
"We never thought a tree on our property would be selected for Rockefeller Center. Nope, not in a million years," Devon Price said in November 2021 during an appearance on Today, adding, "It's like, wow, something this significant is actually coming from our property. We grew it and cared for it all these years. Quite an honor."
17 of 20
2022
SARAH YENESEL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The illuminated Rockefeller Christmas tree during the lighting ceremony in N.Y.C. on Nov. 30,2022.
According to Today, the Norway spruce of 2022 was a towering 82 feet tall and 50 feet wide. The 85-year-old evergreen came from Queensbury, N.Y., a small town about three and a half hours north of N.Y.C.
When Pauze first spotted the tree, he knew it was "the one." The evergreen was a bit of a mystery, though, as no houses surrounded it. The owner turned out to be Neil Lebowitz, who kept the plot of land as an investment property, and he was happy to donate the tree to bring joy to others.
"It's a novel experience. We gave it with the expectation that everybody would enjoy it," Lebowitz told the New York Post in November 2022, adding, "For me, it was just a nice tree. Now it's a special tree. Everybody around the world can enjoy it."
Roughly a week and a half before the tree was cut, Pauze traveled upstate to get the 14-ton tree prepped, tying it by wrapping "each branch individually."
"We have to get it down from 50 feet to 14 feet so we can travel on the [New York] Thruway," he told News10 ABC at the time.
Once erected on Nov. 12, 2022, the spruce was adorned with 50,000 LED lights and topped with the famous Swarovski star.
18 of 20
2023
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty
The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center during the annual lighting ceremony in N.Y.C. on Nov. 29, 2023.
For its 91st lighting ceremony, Rockefeller Center presented an 80-foot Norwegian spruce ornamented with 50,000 lights — the equivalent of 5 miles of wire, according to NBC News.
The 43-foot-wide, 12-ton beauty was shipped in from Vestal, N.Y., a suburb of Binghamton. Pauze happened upon the tree, reportedly between 80 and 85 years old, in the yard of Matt and Jackie McGinley while scouting Broome County.
"Not too long before I knocked on the door, someone told them, 'That looks like a Rockefeller Center Christmas tree,' " he recalled to The Center Magazine in 2023.
"I knew when I saw it that it was going to work," he said. "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."
19 of 20
2024
Craig T Fruchtman/Getty
The Rockefeller Center tree is illuminated during the annual tree lighting ceremony in N.Y.C. on Dec. 4, 2024.
The 2024 tree's journey from Massachusetts to Manhattan — the first in 65 years from the Bay State — was straight out of a Hallmark movie.
In 1967, the tree was planted by newlyweds Leslie and Earl Albert in the front yard of their new home in West Stockbridge, Mass. Then waist-high, it grew to 74 feet tall and weighed 11 tons.
Leslie died in 2020 at age 78. Two days later, Pauze spotted the tree.
"I saw this tree right in front of me coming down the road," he told NBC affiliate WNBC (via Today). "And I knew I had to knock on the door."
Leslie and Earl's son, Michael, described Pauze as "an angel," and his wife, Shawn, said the family "took it as a sign."
Earl added that being asked to donate the tree was "probably one of the greatest honors of my life" and believed his late wife would be "thrilled."
20 of 20
2025
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree after being lit on December 3, 2025 in New York City.
The 2025 tree is a 75-foot-tall Norway spruce, hailing from East Greenbush, N.Y., a suburb of Albany. It was cut down on Nov. 6, 2025, and arrived in N.Y.C. on Nov. 8.
While illuminated during the Christmas in Rockefeller Center special — which aired live on NBC and Peacock on Dec. 3 and was hosted by Reba McEntire — the tree boasted 50,000 multi-colored LED lights and was topped with the 900-lb. Swarovski star. On display through mid-January 2026, the Christmas tree will remain lit daily and for 24 hours on Christmas Eve.
After seeing a photo of the tree on the Russ family property — where it lived for over 60 years and was "the backdrop for countless celebrations" — Pauze immediately "knew it was perfect" for 2025. He even visited the tree several times over the year to water and care for it firsthand.
on People
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