Rockefeller Center Christmas tree to be cut from Massachusetts for 2024 lighting

By Neal Riley

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    WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Massachusetts (WBZ) — The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, one of the most famous holiday displays in the world, is coming from Massachusetts this year.

The 2024 tree is a Norway Spruce from the Berkshires. It’s the first time since 1959 that the Rockefeller Center in New York City has picked a tree from Massachusetts for the honor.

The tree is being donated by the Albert family in West Stockbridge, the “Today” show reported.

Rockefeller Center head gardener Erik Pauze said he first spotted the tree in 2020.

“I saw the beautiful Norway Spruce as I drove down the road, and it was right in front of me,” Pauze told Center Magazine. “I knocked on the door and met Earl Albert. I asked if he would someday consider donating the Tree to Rockefeller Center. His answer was immediately yes.”

Standing 74 feet tall and weighing about 11 tons, the tree will be cut down on Nov. 7. It will arrive two days later at Rockefeller Center, where it will be adorned with 50,000 multi-colored lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star.

The “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” tree lighting will be broadcast live on Dec. 4, and the tree will be on display through mid-January.

In Boston, the city’s official Christmas tree for the Common is once again coming from Nova Scotia for a Dec. 5 lighting. Nova Scotia has been donating a tree to Boston for more than 50 years as a “thank you” for the city’s help after the 1917 Halifax explosion.

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