Ava P., journalist

Bright colors light up a green tree against the dark sky that is now sprinkling down small snowflakes. Skates zip across clean ice, horns honk, people bustle by, and the cold crisp air fills your lungs as the city comes alive. This scene attracts thousands of people every year to New York City during the holiday season. With 125 million people visiting each year, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has become a staple for NYC and a “World-Wide symbol of Christmas,” according to the Rockefeller website. While people come from all over to enjoy the tree, many do not know the history of this annual tradition. It all started in December 1931 in the midst of the Great Depression. Workers at Rockefeller Center decided to pool what little money they had together to buy a Christmas tree in an effort to raise spirits. This tree was a 20-foot high balsam fir Christmas tree decorated with garland made by their families. Two years later, it was made an annual tradition and the first official lighting ceremony was held. Although, this was always the most famous public Christmas tree in NYC, it was not the first. In 1912, Madison Square Park put up the first official public Christmas tree as part of a social event to make a Christmas tree available to those who couldn’t afford one.