12/04/2023
The first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 🎄
On Christmas Eve, 1931, at the height of the Great Depression, Italian laborers at the Rockefeller Center construction site decided to pool their money together to buy a Christmas tree to lift their spirits. It was a 20-foot balsam tree that they decorated with handmade garland and strings of cranberries from their families. The workers then lined up at the tree to receive their paychecks, distributed by a foreman standing behind a wooden crate.
The construction of Rockefeller Center began on May 17, 1930, and took place during the worst years of the Great Depression. At the time, 64% of building trade workers in NYC were unemployed. It’s estimated that it provided employment for 50,000 people. The project ultimately transformed the NYC cityscape.
The official website of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree describes the holiday tree as a “world-wide symbol of Christmas,” a statement we really can’t argue with, especially since 125 MILLION PEOPLE visit the attraction each year.
🎄✨🎄✨🎄✨🎄✨🎄✨🎄✨🎄✨🎄
