Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be illuminated tonight in an annual ceremony that helps kick off the holiday season. TIME takes a look at some of the 79-year-old tradition's most historic moments

The First Tree

By Claire Suddath Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010

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Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The first tree debuted at Rockefeller Center on Christmas Eve, 1931. The tree, erected by construction workers eager to receive a day's pay in the depths of the Depression, stood only 20 ft. tall — a quarter of the size of this year's holiday specimen.