The New York City Traveler

Broadway may be dark but the 30,000 lights on the Rockefeller Center Tree will be certain to light up the night sky over Midtown this Wednesday. This year will mark the 75th anniversary of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tradition.

The holiday tradition began in 1931 when construction workers of Rockefeller Center put up a small fir tree decorated with cranberries and garland. Over the past 75 years the ceremony has grown into the national televised event that it is today.

Rockefeller Center’s “Tree Guy” David Murbach has been selecting the Rockefeller Christmas Tree for the past 24 years. The selection process begins with a helicopter ride, a digital camera, and a GPS. Murbach then takes aerial photos and GPS coordinates of the best contenders. Interestingly, most of the past trees used at Rockefeller Center were not found in a forest, but rather in a homeowner’s backyard. This year’s 84-foot Norway Spruce Christmas tree was donated by Joseph and Judy Rivnyak, from Shelton, Connecticut. The tree then gets cut by a two-person hand saw and hoisted by crane to a truck which transports it to Rockefeller Center. The entire process of selection and preparation takes Murbach and his crew nearly a year. He’s already at work selecting the 2008 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

In true eco-holiday spirit, the 75th Rockefeller Center Tree will enjoy a second life. After the Christmas celebrations are complete, the tree will be milled, treated and returned to Rockefeller Center where Habitat for Humanity will build symbolic door frames to be used in HFH houses in Brazil, the Gulf Coast, India, and New York City.

Address: Rockefeller Center, 48th to 51st Streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Map 212-332-6868

Getting There: Subways B, D, F, V to 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center

Dates and Times: The Tree Lighting Ceremony is on Wednesday, Nov 28 from 7-9 pm. The tree will be on display until Jan 3rd.

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