--- title: See the Evolution of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree description: The annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been a New York tradition since 1933. canonical: https://time.com/4132954/rockfeller-center-christmas-tree-lighting/ author: TIME Photo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-02T17:54:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T22:45:03.000Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: See the Evolution of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree og:description: It's been a New York tradition since 1933 og:url: https://time.com/4132954/rockfeller-center-christmas-tree-lighting/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt440ad6bf86a9ca6d/698873770a4a227c819c74a2/facebook-rockefeller-center-tree-lighting-history-09.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 2790 og:image:height: 1460 og:image:alt: Christmas Tuba Concert At Rockefeller Center og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See the Evolution of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree twitter:description: It's been a New York tradition since 1933 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt440ad6bf86a9ca6d/698873770a4a227c819c74a2/facebook-rockefeller-center-tree-lighting-history-09.jpg?branch=production ---  # See the Evolution of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Updated: Dec 13, 2023 10:45 PM UTCPublished: Dec 2, 2015 5:54 PM UTC by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Updated: Dec 13, 2023 10:45 PM UTCPublished: Dec 2, 2015 5:54 PM UTC  On Christmas Eve 1931, a group of construction workers erected a 20-ft. tree on the muddy site of what would become one of the city's greatest architectural and commercial monuments.Two years later, a Rockefeller Center publicist organized the first official tree-lighting ceremony. AP  1934 Rockefeller Center Tree MCNY/Gottscho-Schleisner/Getty Images  1936 Rockefeller Center Trees, celebrating the opening of the ice skating rink. AP  1949 Rockefeller Center Tree John Lindsay—AP  1955 Rockefeller Center Tree AP  1966 Rockefeller Center Tree NBC NewsWire/Getty Images  1979 Rockefeller Center Tree Marty Lederhandler—AP  1985 Rockefeller Center Tree G. Paul Burnett—AP  1991 Rockefeller Center Tree Ed Bailey—AP  1996 Rockefeller Center Tree Evan Agostini—Liaison/Getty Images  2001 Rockefeller Center Tree Richard Drew—AP  2011 Rockefeller Center Tree Henny Ray Abrams—AP  2014 Rockefeller Center Tree Brad Barket—Getty Images  2016 The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree during the 84th lighting ceremony. 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