
The iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, a beacon of yuletide cheer towering over midtown Manhattan, is preparing for its final bow. According to PIX11, this behemoth of a Norway Spruce will meet the dark after 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, marking the end of this year's holiday festivities in the city.
A last-gasp visitation opportunity is granted to all the procrastinators; anyone who wishes to bask in the holiday specter one more time has until 10 p.m. on Saturday before crews dismantle the emblem of Christmas. NBC New York details that received a light dusting of snow, the tree, on its last day standing, which further accentuated its majestic stature. After imbued with hints of a winter wonderland, it's high time for the once-celebrated tree to march into its next life stage.
Transcending its ornamental life, the tree is set to continue its legacy in a more grounded form— as timber for charitable building projects. It's reported by NBC New York that after its take down, Tishman Speyer, Rock Center's overseers, will repurpose the spruce that came all the way from Massachusetts into two-by-four and two-by-six beams. These will be adorned with a distinctive Rockefeller Center stamp, the hallmark of its illustrious past.
The beams, once part of a luscious green giant, are to be donated to Habitat for Humanity, a noble nonprofit with a mission to forge and renovate homes across America. Discernibly, the legacy of this 11-ton spruce from Massachusetts, which enjoyed a storied stint as a holiday monument, will persist as it transitions from being a symbol of seasonal joy to the very bones of new homes.