Yahoo Lifestyle The Enduring Love Story Behind the 2024 Rockefeller Christmas Tree
Each and every year for the past three decades, Rockefeller Center Head Gardener Erik Pauze sets out to find the perfect Christmas tree to serve as a cornerstone of holiday traditions in New York City. Where some trees are nominated, others he finds by accident while driving throughout the Northeast. And that’s exactly how the 2024 Rockefeller Christmas Tree was found—only this time, it was four years in the making.
As revealed on TODAY, the 2024 Rockefeller Christmas tree hails from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The towering 74-foot, 11-ton Norway Spruce caught Erik’s eye back in 2020—as of Saturday, November 9, 2024, the stunning evergreen sits square in the middle of Rockefeller Center, patiently awaiting the highly-anticipated lighting on Wednesday, December 4.
“I came from getting gas after staying overnight tree searching. I saw the beautiful Norway Spruce as I drove down the road, and it was right in front of me,” Erik revealed in an interview with Rockefeller 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.”
As gorgeous as this year’s tree is, the story behind it is even more touching.
Earl and Leslie Albert planted the Norway Spruce in their Stockbridge back in 1967. Newlyweds at the time, Earl and Leslie watched as the evergreen grew from knee-high to sky-scraping over the years, finding moments of celebration and solace within its branches. When Erik showed up at their door in 2020, marveling over their Spruce, Leslie had just passed away, and Earl thought what better way to honor her than by donating their love tree to be adored by the masses.
“It’s a new beginning for the tree. It’s a new beginning for our family,” Earl and Leslie’s son, Michael Albert, told TODAY.
It’s like a Hallmark story in real life and people around the world couldn’t help but notice. “What a beautiful story, a beautiful family, and a beautiful tree—soon to be the most famous Christmas tree in the world,” one Instagram user commented.
The best part? Once the holidays are over, the Rockefeller Christmas tree will be donated to Habitat for Humanity—as it is every year—to provide shelter for those in need. It’s a new beginning, indeed.
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