You are probably pretty impatient at this point, having been made to wait for weeks to see your favorite tree get the attention it deserves. You are probably wondering when in the hell we're finally going to let the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree really shine, seeing as it's been sulking over the ice rink all dim and aimless and bored since freaking November.
Well! Ready your hand warmers, and your ponchos, and your attention-grabbing signs, because the time has come; we must light this sucker up, make it searingly jolly and inescapably bright, in keeping with a decades-old holiday tradition. The Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting ceremony is this week. Wednesday night! Here's everything you need to know.
Does the tree have a name? What should I call her?
Last year, our Yuletide titan was called Shelby, a moniker selected by her donors. This year's sacrificial Norway Spruce does not answer to any specific name — or, if she does, her previous owner has kept it safe and secret. The pair have a long history, you see: Carol Schultz planted this beautiful, 12-ton behemoth in the yard of her Florida, New York home in 1959. Then a small sapling, it had just completed a rewarding stint as Schultz's Christmas tree; now, it is a Christmas tree for all of us, towering over Rockefeller Plaza at an imposing 77 feet. In so doing, the tree has fulfilled her destiny.
"I always said, 'You're going to be up in Rockefeller Center someday and you're going to be a beautiful tree when you get older,'" Schultz described her arboreal conversations, which I imagine as nurturing whispers, to the Today Show.
Of course, the role of Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree obligates all appointees to a third life as building material for Habitat for Humanity, a duty this tree will fulfill on January 17th. Like her predecessor, this majestic evergreen is altogether more than we deserve. But what should we call her? Please, have a gander at the below headshot, and tell me what your gut says:
There she goes!
Yeah, I agree — she's a total Judith, but on or around her third mug of hot wine, she's definitely going to demand you call her Judy, because she's not like other moms; she's a cool mom. So, Judy it is! Glad we're all in agreement.
When does Judy get glam?
To be very clear, Judy is already glam. When they strung her up on November 9th, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Task Force (this is not the official name, but let's see if it sticks) gussied her up with a blinding blanket of 50,000 rainbow-hued LED bulbs, and a dazzling hat: That 900-pound, Swarovski-studded star we discussed a few weeks ago. And then they just left! Left her looming there, all dressed up with nowhere to go and no electricity to keep her warm.
Today, however, all that will change: Once it is dark, once the crowds have all crushed themselves into position and the moment is just right, Judy's holiday sweater will blaze to life. All at once, she will radiate the splendor of approximately 1,000 suns, beaming out her holiday cheer to the slack-jawed masses while John Legend sings softly in the background. [To be clear, I do not know what the order of celebrity appearances will be, but Chrissy Teigen's husband will perform; more on that shortly.]
If you would like to witness this spectacle, know that you must first weather a pre-show, which begins at 7 p.m. Or, well, not "must," exactly: Although not mandatory, this event unavoidably kicks off the actual lighting ceremony, and considering that Judyheads are advised to plant around 3 p.m. but definitely no later than 4 (she's a popular lady, what can I say), you will find yourself de facto obligated to watch it. The actual tree lighting ceremony runs from 8 to 10 p.m., with the light show projected to commence around 9 p.m.
Besides Judy, duh, who will be there?
Your hosts for the tree lighting ceremony will be, drumroll please, the Today Show's Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, and Craig Melvin. Which you probably already knew, if you have attended the Tree Flare before. Veterans of our local yule rodeo will also be aware that Saved by the Bell's Mario Lopez hosts the pre-show, along with NBC New York's Natalie Pasquarella and Stefan Holt, son of Lester.
Throughout the night, you'll enjoy the dulcet tones of John Legend, Brett Eldredge, Idina Menzel, Gwen Stefani, Lea Michele, Chicago (I'm assuming they mean the band?), NE-YO, Straight No Chaser, and various other entertainers.
Also in attendance: The ghosts of 86 Christmas Trees past, shambling all around you in an invisible Ent Moot, swaying to the soothing tunes. Some of you may sense their presence, even see a disembodied branch unfurl a piney tendril on your neighbor's shoulder — even in death, these trees love the pageantry — or clock the falling of spectral needles on your head. Others won't! But, little-known fact, these arboreal spirits will be there.
Do I need tickets?
Nope, just steely willpower and probably a bunch of layers.
How should I get there?
This year, you may find it easier to walk or take the subway: The Department of Transportation has implemented new pedestrian zones along Judy's flanks—that means the pedestrianization of 49th and 50th Streets (from 2 p.m. to midnight on Monday through Thursday, from 1 p.m. to midnight on Fridays, and from 10 a.m. to midnight on the weekends); 5th and 6th avenues will each have a lane of traffic eliminated in that area to make way for pedestrians, as well. So, you can gape at Judy more freely, without having to worry about tipping backward into the path of a car when she inevitably knocks off your socks. Additionally, the following streets will be closed Wednesday:
- 5th Avenue between 46th Street and 52nd Street
- 6th Avenue between 46th Street and 52nd Street
- 46th Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 47th Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 48th Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 49th Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 50th Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 51st Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 52nd Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
- Rockefeller Plaza between 48th Street and 51st Street
Given all that, driving seems like the worst thing you could do to yourself, but if you can't get around it, you'd be wise to get your car the hell out of dodge well before 3 p.m. If you ask me, a person whose blood runs cold in large crowds, taking the subway to a medium-adjacent stop and walking into the fray is your best bet. Taking the subway to Rockefeller Center sounds absolutely harrowing.
Any way you slice it, you're going to have to go through security in order to access the event, and are absolutely, positively BANNED from bringing umbrellas, backpacks, large bags, coolers, and alcoholic beverages into Judy's house. She's a cool mom, but she's not irresponsible! The Weather does not appear to have any storms up her sleeve, but you may want to bring some kind of rain gear if you are the sort of person who prizes constant preparedness.
What else should I bring?
Maybe a bunch of pads? Because you already know navigating the bathroom line, and the high-traffic Port-a-Potties at the end of it, will be akin to passing through two concentric circles of hell. You may also want to bring water, beef jerky, whatever non-messy sundries you require to sustain yourself through seven to 10 hours of standing and walking and jostling and squatting and milling.
Sounds grim, can I watch from home?
If you think the incandescent bloom of so many thousands of lights will look as impressive on a computer screen as it does screaming straight into your naked eyeballs, and you have a cable login, be my guest: Follow this link for streaming info. You can also fire up an old fashioned TV set to tune in, be my guest. NBC is airing it from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
You can also go see Judy in person (which you know she would appreciate, I mean just a quick visit every once in a while, would it kill you?) from now until January 17th. She'll be blazing from 6 p.m. to midnight every day except Christmas Day, when she'll be lit all day, having had like six hundred mugs of hot wine. It's the holidays, who's counting?
