The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is an attraction recognized world over, and with a good reason. For more than eight decades the tree has stood as an icon beckoning the New Yorkers and well as the visitors all along. While the decorations and star have changed through the years, the tree remains a quintessential part of the New York experience. This all began in December 1931 where workers pooled their money to buy a 20-foot tree and it was hand decorated by the members of the family. In December 1933 Rockefeller Center decided to make it an annual tradition and light the tree for the very first time. To make it more fun filled in December 1936 a skating rink pageant was held at the Rockefeller Center. During the world war II era the tree went unlit from 1942 until the end of the war due to blackout regulations. The tradition, which was started with a handful of workers went on to become the most awaited attraction of New York. The Christmas of 1999 hosted the largest tree in the history of Rockefeller Center, hailing from Connecticut, which stood at 100 feet tall. December 2001 saw the tree was decorated in red, white and blue to remember the people who were lost in the September 11 tragedy which shook the world.

A new Swarovski Star designed by the famed architect Daniel Libeskind, which features 3 million dazzling Swarovski Crystals adorn the tree. This star is 9 foot in height. There are more than 50000 multicolored lights which dazzle and sparkle on the tree. To allow adequate time to decorate the huge tree, the tree arrives on November 14.

It was that time of the year when all the lights are lit, and the cold wintery nights look so lovely with the snow and the festive decorations. We had been to New Jersey to visit a cousin of ours, where we all started discussing about the best Christmas lights around. We got to know that it had been a tradition in their family to visit the Rockefeller Tree every year, so we gladly joined in to see it in reality. The drive was a short one, just crossing the Hudson river to reach NY. After parking the car at a distance (parking in New York city requires a lot of patience😊) we walked towards the tree in the wintery evening. As we approached the tree, we could see hundreds of visitors and many of them waiting to get a good glimpse and a nice photograph of the breathtaking tree with lights shining like thousands of twinkling stars. The decoration on and around the tree, and the area lit around for 5 miles made it magical. It made the atmosphere in the lead-up to Christmas nothing short of incredible. The Crystal star was like the icing on the top. The ice-skating rink at the center was on my bucket list, after watching it in numerous Indian movies😊. It did not disappoint me either, with the tree in the backdrop and ice below it looks right out of the Disney movies. But the place is heavily crowded and is a treat to watch. It was a moment of pure joy, which even the cold blowing winds did not deter. After spending some good time with my family and the kids having their own good time at the Lego store, we returned home with some happy memories.

This year it is quite different. Due to the ongoing pandemic this is the first in many years, that midtown Manhattan is devoid of its usual crowds. In ordinary holiday season the tree draws about 750000 visitors a day. Although through early January, the tree will be open to visitors daily between 6 a.m. and midnight. It is open for 24 hours on Christmas, and on New Year’s Eve the visiting hours are from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. To gain access to the viewing areas, starting on Thursday, visitors can use a phone to scan QR codes posted near Rockefeller Center. They will get a text message with an estimated wait time and will be told when to return to view the tree. Face masks and social distancing are mandatory, and visitors must stand on social-distancing markers in groups of four at most. There is a five-minute limit for viewing. If you love Christmas, the lighting, and the festive mood we would highly recommend you visit it at least once.