The lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is one of the most iconic traditions that officially kicks off the holiday season. It lights up the night in New York City, and the hearts of Americans everywhere.
This year, the tree selected to stand tall in Rockefeller Plaza is from East Greenbush, New York, from the home of a young widow named Judy Russ and her seven-year-old son, Liam. Russ donated the magnificent Norway Spruce in honor of her husband, Dan Russ, who passed away in 2020.
“This tree has been on my husband’s family’s property since the 1920s,” Russ told local radio station 1010 Wins. “My husband’s great grandparents were the people who planted it. For this to now become the center of New York City Christmas is incredible.”
The Norway Spruce tree measures a whopping 75 feet tall and 45 feet wide, and weighs 11 tons. The tree was cut down on Thursday, Nov. 6, and began its 130 mile journey to New York City.
“Donating the tree is a way to honor my late husband Dan and all our family members who have passed,” Russ told The Center Magazine.
It arrived on Nov. 8, and is set to be decorated with 50,000 LED lights and a gleaming Swarovski star to top it off that weighs 900 pounds. The tree will officially be lit on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
“Well, I cry at home in my living room when the tree it lit, so I’m probably going to be inconsolable that day, but it’s going to be great,” Judy added.
Russ opened up about how much her husband Dan would have loved to be with them to experience it: “I know he would have loved to have been here for this moment,” she shared with TODAY. “We always talked about it being the (Rockefeller Center) tree. It’s so special that my family’s tree gets to be America’s, if not the world’s, Christmas tree.”
And her son Liam is equally ecstatic about their family’s tree being selected. “I’m excited that the whole world can see it,” Liam told TODAY.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been an American tradition since 1933. And this year, the Russ family tree was selected by head gardener for Rockefeller Center Erik Pauze, who has chosen the tree for over three decades.
“What I look for is a tree you’d want in your living room, but on a grander scale,” Pauze explained to The Center Magazine. “It needs to make people smile the second they see it.”
And he knew that the Russ’s tree was the one.
“As soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect,” he added.
While it is bittersweet for Russ, she hopes that this year’s tree will bring smiles throughout the season, especially to those who have lost a loved one.
“Spread joy, spread cheer, love one another. Think of our family, think of my husband, think of us,” she added. “We’re just happy to share it with everybody.”
