New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg flicked the switch on the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree Wednesday evening, following in the footsteps of a tradition that’s been honored since 1933 — the annual tree lighting at the downtown site.
The tree, decorated with 45,000 multicolored LEDs, spans 76 feet in height and weighs 12 tons. It’s a Norway Spruce, and it’s topped by a 9½-foot-wide Swarovski star.
“It’s gorgeous, it’s enormous,” said bystander Kristy Connery, who was vacationing in the city with her husband, Adam Connery, from Tyngsborough, Mass., The New York Daily News reported. “Christmas is my favorite time of the year.”
The annual event is also watched by millions each year on television.
The tree will stand until Jan. 7. After, it will be sent to a mill to be turned into lumber for Habitat for Humanity, The New York Daily News reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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