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You’ve probably endured a televised tree lighting ceremony or two over the years, and you may have even braved the tourist-ridden plaza to see the massive evergreen for yourself. But there’s a lot more to the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree than meets a jaded New Yorker’s eye. And by "a lot more" we mean "these 18 things"... 1. In 1931, the first tree was put up unofficially as something of a Depression-era fairy tale A group of workers responsible for the early construction phases of Rockefeller Center raised the tree to celebrate the fact that, unlike most of America, they actually had a way to pay the bills. They decorated the 20ft balsam fir with cranberries, paper garlands, and a few tin cans. A clerk distributed their paychecks from the foot of the tree later that night. 2. The first "official" tree though went up in 1933 A publicist organized the first tree-lighting ceremony. A 50ft pine decorated with 700 lights stood in front of the RCA Building, then eight months old. 3. The tree is super patriotic In 1942 three small trees -- each decorated in one of the flag’s colors -- were presented in support of the country’s efforts in World War II. In 1944, because of wartime regulations, the tree went unlit. And in 2001, the tree was decorated in red, white, and blue as the US was still reeling from the 9/11 attacks. 4. The tree lighting ceremony was first televised in 1951 It made its debut on The Kate Smith Show hosted by the “first lady of radio” before moving to the iconic children’s program Howdy Doody. Now broadcast on NBC, the ceremony has featured the likes of Bob Hope, Barbara Walters, Liza Minnelli, Sheryl Crow, Bette Midler, Billy Crystal, and Mariah Carey. 5. The current tree-topping star boasts 25,000 Swarovski crystals with one million facets That’s a lot of damn facets, it’s also got 720 LED bulbs, 44 circuit boards, and 3,000ft of wire, and it weighs 550lbs. Rock Center won’t disclose its cost, so it’s got to be pricey (estimates value the stunner at $1.5 million, which actually makes it LESS expensive than the clock on top of the info booth in Grand Central). Unveiled by Fergie, which is kinda weird, in 2004, it’s the largest of a series of stars to have topped the tree. 6. The tree is solar powered LED lights were introduced in 2007 and are powered by 300 solar panels installed on the roof of One Rockefeller Center. The tree now saves enough energy to power a 2,000sqft single-family home for a month. That’s 2,213 kWh per day (but you knew that). 7. The tree’s lights reach farther than you can probably run There are approximately 50,000 LED lights on 5 miles of wire, roughly 110th Street to 14th Street along Broadway. That's one mile less than the perimeter of Central Park. It is topped with a huge Swarovski crystal star prior to the tree lighting on November 29. 8. The largest tree to date was 100ft tall Although the tree usually stands no less than 65ft tall -- or seven stories -- because it needs to be dense enough to hold all the ornaments, but narrow enough to fit under bridges as it’s transported, horizontally, into Manhattan, the record-setter came from Killingworth, Connecticut and was on display in 1999. Any bigger and it probably won't make it here, the width of New York City streets limit tree height to 110ft. 9. To find the perfect tree each year, Rockefeller Center conducts aerial searches via helicopter For many years, David Murbach, the Center’s late garden manager, would rent a car and look for a tree on the most scenic routes. Now a team of scouts takes this loftier approach, seeking out the perfect specimen, year-round. Once spotted, a crane is required to support the tree as it’s cut, as well as to move it to a flatbed truck. 10. They’ve floated trees down the Hudson River on a barge to get them here The size and location of the tree determine its mode of transport, trees have been driven on highways and through the streets of Manhattan on flatbed trucks, floated on a said barge, and flown in the world’s largest transport plane. They’re snuck into the city at night when traffic isn’t quite so hellacious. 11. Trees are generally donated, not purchased Rock Center sometimes gives a small payment (in the neighborhood of $2,000) to the owners of its chosen trees. But most part with their beloved evergreens gratis, taking advantage of the garden team’s free landscaping services after the tree is removed from their grounds. Also, anyone can submit a tree for consideration, just fill out this form on Rockefeller Center’s website. You know, in case anyone out there happens to be growing gigantic Norwegian spruce on their fire escape. 12. This year’s tree is 80 years old, weighs twelve tons, and traveled approximately 240 miles to Manhattan This year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, an enormous Norway spruce, made the journey from State College, PA, to Midtown. The 75-foot tall centerpiece of Christmas at Rockefeller Center, and the source of much of the tourist foot traffic in that area, weights approximately 12 tons and is about 80 years old. (Curbed) 13. The tree gets turned into lots of useful stuff The evergreen has been even greener since 1971 when it was turned into 30 three-bushel bags of mulch for nature trails in upper Manhattan. It has since been used to build homes for Habitat for Humanity in New York, Louisiana, India, and Brazil, and to rebuild houses in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The stump, however, gets its own afterlife; it's donated to the US Equestrian Team to be used as obstacle jumps. (Sources: Thrillist and Curbed) If you didn't get to see the tree lighting last night (November 29, 2017) check it out here: https://youtu.be/Tl7R6wfkprM

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