Rockefeller Christmas Tree Coming From Maryland For 1st Time

The Christmas tree that will light up Rockefeller Center this holiday season is coming from Maryland for the first time in the nearly nine decades of the annual tradition.

Friday, November 12th 2021, 8:09 am

By: Associated Press

ELKTON, Md. (AP) — The Christmas tree that will light up Rockefeller Center this holiday season is coming from Maryland for the first time in the nearly nine decades of the annual tradition.

A 79-foot-tall (24-meter-tall) Norway spruce will be cut down in Elkton on Nov. 11 and arrive in New York City on Nov. 13, the center announced Thursday.

Rockefeller Center’s website says the 85-year-old tree will be covered with about 5 miles (8 kilometers) of wire holding more than 50,000 multi-colored lights and topped with a 900-pound (408-kilogram) star covered in 3 million Swarovski crystals.

The lighting ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 1 and will be televised on NBC. After that, the tree will be lit daily from 6 a.m. to midnight. It will be lit for 24 hours on Christmas Day and from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.