What began as a humble holiday celebration in 1931, when construction workers were building the Rockefeller Center, has grown into a dazzling worldwide phenomenon: The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Just two years later, the first formal Tree Lighting Ceremony was held in 1933. That first tree, modest in size and enrobed with 700 twinkling lights, created a charming scene for New Yorkers of that era.

This is child’s play compared to today’s modern spectacle, which features roughly five miles of light wire and thousands of LED bulbs stretching across its towering branches, transforming the plaza into a glittering winter wonderland.

Each year, millions of tourists and locals flock to Rockefeller Center Plaza to bask in the tree’s glow. Becoming an iconic symbol of Christmastime in New

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