Rockin’ around the Christmas tree: Rockefeller tree lit up

NEW YORK (AP) — The holly, jolly, best time of the year has gotten a light-filled launch. The towering Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center has been officially turned on. The 79-foot Norway spruce is covered with more than 50,000 lights in a rainbow of colors. It bears a crystal-covered, 900-pound star. The tree was lit Wednesday in a midtown Manhattan ceremony, once again open to the public, in contrast to last year’s virus-impacted event. The tree came from Elkton, Maryland, where it stood for more than 80 years outside a family home. The first Christmas tree was placed in Rockefeller Center by men working there in 1931.