That's better! Rockefeller Christmas tree's spruce up - complete with branch extensions - is revealed after its initial 'scraggly' appearance was compared to Charlie Brown's tree
The Rockefeller Christmas tree is back to its finest, after the three-day journey to Manhattan from its upstate home left the spruce looking decidedly raggedy.
The tree had been mocked online when it arrived in New York City on November 14, and it's shabby appearance was compared to Charlie Brown's infamously sad looking tree in the Peanuts cartoons.
But after more than a week of love and attention from workers, as well as sneaky 'extensions' to its branches, the 75-foot Norway spruce is now back looking its best.
NYC mayor Bill de Blasio was delighted at the transformation, tweeting: 'Bad news for all the Grinches out there — Christmas is coming to New York City!'
The tree is currently being decorated with baubles and more than five miles of lights, ahead of a lighting ceremony scheduled for December 2.
The ceremony is not open to the public, owing to the coronavirus pandemic, but will be broadcast live on NBC.
After more than a week of love and attention from workers, as well as sneaky 'extensions' to its branches, the 75-foot Norway spruce is now back looking its best
The tree was looking sparse on November 14, but has now 'blossomed' into a festive wonder
NYC mayor Bill de Blasio was delighted at the transformation, tweeting: 'Bad news for all the Grinches out there — Christmas is coming to New York City !'
When the tree first appeared in New York, it's shabby appearance was compared to Charlie Brown's infamously sad looking tree in the Peanuts cartoons
Dolly Parton, the Goo Goo Dolls and Kelly Clarkson are among those due to perform on the night.
The tree's new appearance is a world away from when it first arrived in New York ten days ago.
Photos of the tree circulated online drawing disparaging remarks from a legion of Scrooges.
'I expected nothing in 2020 to be good nice, or pretty and this tree confirms my dire expectations,' one Twitter user wrote.
'Decorate it with some limbs please,' another chimed in.
'This is treeson,' punned one user.
Online Grinches had slammed the 'scraggly' Rockefeller Christmas tree as 'the perfect symbol of 2020'. Above, the tree is seen as it is erected on November 14
The tree is now looking a little healthier, and is being decorated with baubles and more than five miles of lights, ahead of a lighting ceremony scheduled for December 2
The lighting ceremony is not open to the public, owing to the coronavirus pandemic, but will be broadcast live on NBC.
Before the trip: The tree is seen where it stood in Oneonta before it was cut down. Homeowner Al Dick said that while the tree was beloved, he was glad to donate it due to the difficulties it created for yard maintenance
The Rockefeller Center clapped back in a tweet written in the voice of the tree itself.
'Wow, you all must look great right after a two-day drive, huh?
'Just wait until I get my lights on! See you on December 2!'
It follows a similar controversy in Cincinnati, where the tree installed in Fountain Square was panned as a shrub reminiscent of 'Charlie Brown'.
Photos of the tree before it was felled and transported show a lush, symmetrical specimen.
In New York, scaffolding had already gone up around the tree, and workers were busy coaxing the limbs back into place.
Photos of the tree circulated online soon after it was erected on Saturday morning
Scaffolding was placed around the tree, and workers were busy stringing five miles of lights
This year's tree had the added attraction of a stowaway in its branches - a tiny saw-whet owl, which had hidden among the foliage for the journey into the city.
The little bird is believed to have traveled in the branches all the way down from Oneonta in upstate New York - a perilous three day voyage.
She was cared for by veterinarians and fed a diet of mice while they made sure she was fit for release.
The little bird, nicknamed Rockefeller, was nursed back to full strength and release into the wild on Tuesday night.
The saw-whet owl, nicknamed Rockefeller, was found nestling among the branches
The shelter started the owl on a steady diet of fluids and mice, and she made a full recovery
One of the workers tasked with felling and transporting the tree discovered the tiny owl
Once the owl was given a clean bill of health from the vet she was released into the wild
View of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree being set up on November 15
Visitors should be able to visit the tree during the holiday season, provided they wear a face mask and socially-distance.
'Details about how to visit the lit Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be announced in the coming weeks,' the property managers said in a statement.
The holiday cheer comes amid a resurgence in the pandemic in New York City and across the country.
Al Dick (left) of Daddy Al's General Store in Oneonta donated the tree to Rockefeller Center
Workers in Oneonta, New York, cut down the 75ft-tall, 11-ton Norway spruce
The tree is estimated to be between 75 and 80 years old, according to the family that owned it
Every year, the Rockefeller Center tree is decorated with thousands of lights on a five-mile-long wire and topped with a large star.
This year's star will weigh 900 pounds, made up of some three million Swarovski crystals on 70 illuminated spikes.
This year's tree was donated by Daddy Al's General Store in Oneonta.
Al Dick said he was honored to have his tree erected in Rockefeller Plaza, and glad to be rid of the extra yard work it created.
It will likely remain on display in Rockefeller Center until early next year, at which point the tree will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, which will recycle it as lumber.
The 75-foot tall Norway spruce arrived at Rockefeller Center in the early morning hours accompanied by a police escort along the 185-mile route from Oneonta, New York
In-person spectators will not be allowed at the lighting ceremony, which usually draws hundreds of holiday well-wishers
Every year, the Rockefeller Center tree is decorated with thousands of lights on a five-mile-long wire and topped with a large star. It is visited by millions of tourists and residents
New York City received a much-need boost with the arrival of a giant Christmas tree that marks the unofficial start of the 2020 holiday season
The tree is pictured being transported into the plaza outside the Rockefeller Center
Tishman Speyer, the company that owns Rockefeller Center, has said it's especially proud to keep up the tree tradition this year.
The pandemic has spurred the cancellation of some other New York holiday customs, such as the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
It's estimated that more than 125 million people typically visit Rockefeller Center during the holidays, but with tourism stalled amid the pandemic, it's unlikely the usual frenzy will appear this year.
While this year’s tree measures at a towering 75 feet, the tallest ever spruce to stand in the center was seen in 1999, which was 100 foot tall. The tree that year came from Killingworth, Connecticut.
The tradition has not been enough to win over one Christmas scrooge though.
A Columbia University professor has called for the annual Rockefeller tree to be ‘canceled’ for good, insisting the tradition is emblematic of the ‘toxic relationship’ shared between nature and extractive capitalism.
Brian Kahn made the plea in an op-ed for Gizmodo last week, in which he argued that this year's tree ‘should be the last’ showcased ‘at the center of the beating, concrete-and-steel heart of capitalism’.
Brian Kahn (above) made the plea in an op-ed for Gizmodo last week, in which he argued that the 75-foot-tall Norway spruce erected outside of 30 Rock ahead of this year’s holiday season ‘should be the last’
Describing this year’s tree as ‘floppy’ and ‘haggard’, Kahn said its appearance was a metaphor for ‘this year of pandemic, a slapdash coup attempt, and a general drubbing of American exceptionalism.’
But Kahn argued that this year’s tree is also ‘perfectly poised to reflect something more than our national mood: it reflects the absolutely toxic relationship we have with the natural world and the need to rapidly reverse course.
‘If this year’s tree sees any justice, it’s that it should be the last,’ Kahn insisted.
In his article, titled ‘Cancel the Rockefeller Christmas Tree for Good’, Kahn insists that ‘everything about this tree tells a piece of the story of our past century-plus relationship with nature and extractive capitalism.
‘The tree is a Norway spruce, which, as you can likely guess from the name, is not native to the U.S. That in and of itself reflects how upended our relationship with nature is,’ Kahn wrote.
‘In its previous home, though, it had an iota of dignity lost completely once it was transported to Midtown Manhattan,’ he continued.
The purported loss of its dignity, according to Kahn, stems from the fact the spruce ‘served as a veritable island for wildlife’ back in Oneonta, something it cannot fulfil in New York City.
No comments: