I spent years looking at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree from 5,500 miles away in Hawaii. Even when I moved to the mainland in 1990, it still took me another decade before I would get to see New York City’s most famous Christmas decoration in person (I had visited the city since I was 7-years-old, but never during the holidays). It was everything I dreamed it would be—tall, wonderfully lit, and festive. I stood in line to get my picture taken in front of it (a very tricky endeavor considering its height—if you want the entire tree in your shot then you will be reduced to a mere dot in the frame; likewise if you want your mug to be front and center in the photo, most of the tree will be cut off). In any event, I went, I saw, I documented and was satisfied by the experience.
However, what is far more interesting than my story with the famous tree is the story of how the multi-ton tree is chosen year after year. This year an 88-foot Norway spruce from a western Connecticut home made its way to Manhattan and today was on display (wrapped up on the back of a truck) at Rockefeller Center.
The lucky owner (or should I say, now previous owner) of the tree was profiled on NBC’s “Today” show. Fifty-eight-year-old Rob Kinnaird has been thrust into the media spotlight thanks to the tree he watched grow outside his window as a child in Ridgefield, a community of about 22,000 people 70 miles southwest of Hartford, Connecticut.
“I have pictures of my mom holding me out by the tree,” said Kinnaird, adding that the stint at Rockefeller Center was a “total shock” to the family, but will be a perfect end for the massive tree that weighs 9-tons and is 45 feet in diameter.
Kinnaird said he had no idea that the family’s beloved tree was being considered to decorate Rockefeller Center. The antique car restorer said he happened upon a tree scout hanging from a helicopter one afternoon who informed Kinnaird that his tree had everything Rockefeller Center was looking for: good width, tree density and height (it must be at least 75 feet).
It’s not the first time Connecticut has been scouted for trees. In fact, the state has a long tradition of providing Rockefeller Center with spruces. In 1999, a 100-foot Norway spruce, the largest in the center’s history, was plucked from the yard of a Killingworth couple.
From now until the big lighting ceremony on November 29th, the tree will be decorated with more than 30,000 lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star. The tree will remain in place until January 8th. So, if you are in New York during the holidays don’t forget to bring your camera… and your patience… the crowds around Rockefeller Center can get mighty large.