'Charlie Brown': New Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Draws Comparisons to Holiday Special's Infamous Fir

Even the Rockefeller Christmas tree is feeling the stress of 2020. Immediately after the tree was [...]

By Allison Schonter

Even the Rockefeller Christmas tree is feeling the stress of 2020. Immediately after the tree was unveiled in New York City on Saturday, social media users couldn't help but note the 75-foot Norway Spruce's resemblance to another iconic tree: Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, the barely-there plant made famous in the Peanuts holiday special.

Brought in via police escort from Oneonta, New York, this year's tree stands 75-feet tall and measures 45-feet wide, weighing a whopping 11 tons. As the tree was carefully lifted into position by a crane on Saturday, though, it left little to be impressed by. The tree, an iconic holiday fixture for not only NYC but the entire country, had sparsely placed branches and appeared barer than tree-like.

While it remains to be seen if a bit of fluffing will restore the tree's beauty, social media had a heyday with the first-look at the spruce. As videos and images of the tree made its way across social media, many noted that the tree looked like a much larger version of Charlie Brown's tree, while others said that it was completely "on brand for 2020." Keep scrolling to see what people are saying about the spruce.

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After arriving in Rockefeller Center on Saturday, the tree lighting will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 2. This year's lighting ceremony will look a little different, though, as there will be no public access due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the public is invited to view the live national broadcast "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" from home on NBC.

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The massive spruce will be decorated with more than 50,000 lights, according to the Rockefeller Center. These multi-colored LED lights will stretch a total length of approximately 5 miles.

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Topping the tree will be a beautiful star designed by architect Daniel Libeskind in 2018. The three-dimensional Swarovski star weighs approximately 900 pounds and boasts three dimensional Swarovski star weighs approximately 900 pounds.

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Located at West 49th and 50th streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues, the tree will shine for a full 24-hours on Christmas Day. Visiting hours are daily from 6 a.m. until midnight. On New Year's Eve, visiting hours are from 6 am to 9 pm.

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At this time, a date for the tree to come down has not yet been set. Details for this event are set to be released at a later date.

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The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been an annual event for more than eight decades. It began in 1931 when workers at Rockefeller Center pooled their money together to buy a Christmas tree. Together, they decorated a 20-foot balsam fir, marking the start of what would become a quintessential New York experience.

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The very first tree lighting ceremony was held in 1933 when Rockefeller decided to make the Christmas Tree an annual tradition. Since then, trees have been transported across the country for the annual event.

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