Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The Christmas Tree went up in Rockefeller Center yesterday! I'm not trying to rush any of you into an early Christmas frenzy, or God forbid - skip Thanksgiving, but it is exciting. It's a sign that the holiday season is here and we should start getting into it. The television special is something I look forward to every year even though it's a little underwhelming in the performance sphere. Any television holiday special makes me happy, really. (but that will be another post) So, for those who don't know, here are some facts about the Roc Center tree.

• The Tree Lighting Ceremony will be on Tuesday, November 30th from 7-9pm this year.
• The first formal Rockefeller Center Tree was put up in 1931.

• The first lighting of the Rock Center Tree was in 1933 and broadcast on NBC radio.
  
• In 1936, two trees were lit and the skating rink became part of the ceremony.
• In 1942, three trees were used. One was red, one white, and one blue in support of the troops.
• The Kate Smith show was the first place the tree was lit on national TV in 1951.
• In 1966, the first foreign tree was used. It was from Canada.
• The largest tree ever used was in 1999. It was 100 feet high, 100 years old, and 10 tons.
• 2004 was the debut of the Swarovski star. It has 25,000 crystals.
• Traditionally, the tree is a Norway Spruce.
• This year's tree is from Mahopac, New York, weighs 12 tons and is 74 feet tall.
  

Info and first photo courtesy of http://www.nyctrip.com/pages/index.aspx?pageID=1035 .
Second picture courtesy of @rockcenternyc on twitter.