I choose the Rockefeller Christmas tree every year. Here's how I spot the perfect spruce and get it ready for NYC.
- Erik Pauze is the head gardener at Rockefeller Center, and he chooses the Christmas tree each year.
- He cares for the gardens daily and always has his eyes peeled for the perfect tree while traveling.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Erik Pauze, the head gardener at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I've worked at Rockefeller Center for more than 30 years. My team of six and I take care of the beautiful gardens you see and visit around the property. We tend to the more than 20 roof gardens and terraces, in addition to most of the lobbies.
I also have another major responsibility: I choose the perfect tree for Christmas every year.
I look at dozens of trees throughout the year. Some are submitted online by potential donors, and some I come across on my own travels. I always take the long way home from anywhere, keeping an eye out for a Norway spruce — the most common species of tree we choose. I've already got my eye on several trees that might be selected for next year, or even the year after that.
I understand the enormity of the responsibility. The arrival of the Rockefeller Christmas tree officially ushers in the holiday season in New York City.
There's one major attribute that I look for when searching for the perfect tree: a tree you would want in your living room, but on a much larger scale
It has to have that nice, perfect shape, and most of all, it has to look good for the kids who turn the corner at 30 Rock. The tree needs to instantly put a huge smile on their faces.
Once I find the tree, I visit it several times no matter where it is to water, feed, and measure it. Moving the tree is an operation in and of itself that can take months to plan and execute — from wrapping each branch so it doesn't bend or snap to compressing the width down so it's fit for travel. That preparation process alone takes seven to 10 days.
Depending on where the tree is located, a temporary-access road may be needed for the crane, and electric lines may need to be temporarily relocated. After the tree is cut, it's placed on a flatbed truck by crane, and it starts its journey to Rockefeller Center. The tree's route is public, so people can follow along.
This year's tree is a Norway Spruce that's 82 feet tall, 50 feet in diameter, and weighs approximately 14 tons
The 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was donated by the Lebowitz family of Glens Falls, New York, from their property. Once it made it to New York on November 12, a team of 30 to 35 people and I got to work decorating it so it will be ready for the tree-lighting ceremony on November 30.
From the moment we cut the tree in the local town to when it arrives in Rockefeller Center and finally gets lit, the joy it brings to those who see it, the smiles it brings to kid's faces — those are the moments I love most about this job.
I don't dislike anything about my job. I have the best job out there.