New York City’s Christmas season has kicked off with the 88th Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony held last night. This year the ceremony was done very differently including social distancing and masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rockefeller Center was closed to the public to prevent the large crowds that usually form around midtown Manhattan. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Rob Speyer, CEO of Tishman Speyer, ended the ceremony by lighting up the tree together. Tishman Speyer owns Rockefeller Center which encompasses 6 square blocks between 5th and Avenue of the Americans from 48th to 51st streets.

The Holiday special featured performances from Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, Meghan Trainor, Goo Goo Dolls, Jimmy Fallon, Dolly Parton, Brett Eldredge, Tori Kelly, Leslie Odom Jr., Pentatonix and Earth, Wind & Fire. The Radio City Rockettes also gave a performance spreading Christmas cheer as the Radio City Music Hall’s “Christmas Spectacular” has canceled all shows for the season. It has recently been announced that tickets are now on sale for next season 2021-22.

The Rockefeller Center tree is decorated with 50,000 LED lights and a stunning Swarovski crystal star designed with 3 million crystals. You no longer can walk up to the tree during normal viewing hours and take photos, but new rules are in place to encourage social distancing and crowd control. This year to view the tree you must wait in a queue wearing a mask in groups no larger than four or the group will be split up. Each group will have only 5 minutes to view the tree.

The first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree was decorated in December 1931 during the Great Depression. The tree was 20-feet tall and stood in the construction site at Rockefeller Center as a symbol of optimism and hope to get through the Great Depression. The tree is now an annual tradition and the modern trees now stand 70-100 feet tall. This year the tree is 75-feet tall and from Oneonta, New York.