Locals and tourists from across the world braved the crowds and the cold on Wednesday, waiting hours in line to catch a glimpse of the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree light up for the holiday season.
The 75-foot-tall Norway Spruce from a backyard in Rensselaer County, New York was illuminated in a spectacle of 50,000 stunning colored lights around 10 p.m. in the bustling Midtown hub.
“Ever since I saw Home Alone [2], I’ve wanted to see the Rockefeller Tree,” said Sharon Harvey, who trekked from the United Kingdom to watch the lighting ceremony as a 60th birthday present from her sister, Hannah.
“New York during Christmas is magical,” Harvey told The Post.
She and her sister had been waiting in line since 3:30 p.m. to get a glimpse of the iconic ceremony.
“We’re really lucky to have this relationship,” Harvey reflected.
Patricia Procobio and her best friend traveled from Richmond, Virginia, and arrived around 2 p.m. to be first in line for the tree lighting.
“This is one of my bucket list things,” Procobio said.
“It’s the 100th anniversary of the lighting of the tree. I said, ‘I have to go!’”
Procobio promised her best friend that they could go shopping and to the restaurant Tavern on the Green in Central Park while visiting the Big Apple, “but today is my day. I’m only here to see the tree, all the other things are extras,” she said.
Jessica Howell, 33, was visiting the Big Apple for the first time with her pal, Michele Bullock, 46.
“I love Christmas. I grew up watching the tree lighting on TV, and we just decided to come see it in person. Last year I watched it on TV and this year we are here,” Howell, of Knoxville, Tennessee, said.
Katie Demarco also came out to see the lit spruce with her five-year-old daughter, husband, and her mother-in-law all the way from Colombia.
“It’s iconic. This is Christmas in New York!” Demarco said.
The tree was put into place on Nov. 8 with help from Judy Russ and her 7-year-old son, Liam.
Just two days earlier, the spruce had been growing in the backyard of their upstate New York home.
The magnificent tree for this year’s festivities was donated in honor of her husband, Dan, who died in 2020 at the age of 32.
The tree stood on the family’s East Greenbush property for 75 years and reached such astounding heights that Dan even dreamed about it one day becoming the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
NYPD Community Affairs also hosted 129 students, staff, and families from special needs schools for the deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and those experiencing vision loss across the city, at the lighting ceremony.
“I get to oversee a lot of amazing initiatives and programs for the community. However, tonight is always special for me because we are a part of the lives of young people with disabilities — letting them know that the NYPD is here for them and will always be here for them,” Assistant Commissioner Alden Foster of the Community Affairs Bureau said in a statement.
The large crowd began singing the “12 Days of Christmas” while waiting for the tree to be lit — breaking out into oohs and aahs and taking out their phones to snap pictures once the switch flipped.
“It was amazing. Sparkling. This started the Christmas season. I came to New York just to see the tree lighting. It’s an experience,” said Tammy Jacobs, 47, from Cleveland, Ohio.
“It’s an iconic American dream. I watch this every year on TV but to be here in person — it’s the feel, the experience. People were signing and talking as we waited,” Jacobs, a retired military member, added.
Friends and coworkers who traveled to New York City for a work conference were also stunned as they stopped by for the ceremony.
“It’s a timeless tradition, and we’re able to share it with all of these New Yorkers,” exclaimed Floridian Nick Herrera.
Janet Criollo, a retired teacher from Ecuador who was visiting her daughter, called the moment a “blessing.”
“It was like a blessing. It’s a dream come true. I love Christmas, it’s my favorite holiday,” Criolla said.
