On Christmas Eve in 1931 , a 20-foot tall balsam fir was erected by the workers constructing the Rockefeller Center . This is another great story . It was the height of the Great Depression and the workers “ pooled their money to buy a Christmas tree in order to lift their spirits .” They decorated the tree with handmade paper garlands , strings of cranberries and “ even a few tin cans .” When it was time to collect their paychecks , they lined up at the tree .
In 1933 , two years later , a publicist for the Rockefeller Center arranged to turn the event into an annual tradition . The tree , usually a Norway spruce between 69 and 100 feet tall , is traditionally donated to Rockefeller Center . It is decorated with only lights and a star . But , there are more than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights on about 5 miles of wire ! And , the current star , created in 2018 , weighs approximately 900 pounds , is nine feet four inches wide , and is made of three million Swarovski crystals containing LED lighting spots , radiating from 70 spikes !
Specific details of this year ’ s tree have not been officially released yet . In direct opposition to my initial statement of not writing about anything that cannot be confirmed , I am reporting that one unidentified source claims that the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is approximately 85 years old and weighs 12 tons but it did not reveal what kind it is . It is supposed to be coming from Killingworth , Connecticut , and is 100 feet tall , which would make it the tallest tree , yet . It will be very interesting to find out if any of this is true .
A Few Christmas Tree Facts from History . com
• The best-selling trees are Scotch Pine , Douglas Fir , Fraser Fir , Balsam Fir and White Pine .
• President Franklin Pierce decorated an evergreen tree on the White House lawn in 1853 .
• President Benjamin Harrison brought a tree inside the White House in 1889 and had it lit with candles .
• Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850 .
• Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states including Hawaii and Alaska .
• Ninety-eight percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms .
• On average , over 2,000 Christmas trees are planted per acre .
• Christmas trees generally take six to eight years to mature .
• In the first week , a tree in your home will consume as much as a quart of water per day .
• The first commercially-made artificial Christmas trees date back to about 1880 in Germany because Christmas trees had been so popular that the number of live evergreen trees in Germany significantly declined .
• The first U . S . -based company to create artificial Christmas trees was the Addis Brush Company . It manufactured the trees on the same machinery that it used to produce toilet brushes but it dyed the bristles green .
• If your Christmas tree is a natural one , do not burn it in your fireplace . It can contribute to creosote buildup , which can cause house fires .
Thomasville Garden Club and I , personally , wish all of you a very blessed , joyful and safe holiday season and a healthy , happy and prosperous New Year .
This article was written by Thomasville Garden Club member , Pat Pankey , as a service to the community . Thomasville Garden Club , Inc . welcomes new members . If you are interested , please contact Membership Chair Vicky Johnson at 224-0590 or any current member . The Garden Center has a library of books about gardening that are available not only to garden club members but also to the general public . To access the library or to visit the Garden Center , please contact Mary Tomlinson at 229-406-6046 or any current member . You may contact Linda Tarver , 229-403-1187 or Joe Tarver , 904-612-4204 if you are interested in renting the Garden Center for an event . The Garden Center is always open to the public on the Wednesday before the first Friday of every month , September through May . Please visit our website at www . thomasvillegardenclub . org and find us on Facebook .
72 Winter 2023 Thomasville Scene