Erik Pauze

Meet the Man Who Personally Picks the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

Earl Albert's son wondered if Rockefeller Center's head gardener 

was

"an angel"

The 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has sentimental roots.  The tree was planted by the Albert family back in 1967 in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts in the Southern Berkshire region when Earl Albert and his wife, Leslie, were still newlyweds.  When the tree was planted, it was only waist-high.  Now, 57 years later, the Norway Spruce stands 74 feet tall, 43 feet wide and weighing roughly 11 tons. This year's tree is the first to hail from the state of Massachusetts since 1959!

We first used to decorate it when it was small, and then it got so big that I couldn't decorate it.

Earl Albert

The towering beauty in western Massachusetts caught the attention of Rockefeller Center's head gardener, Erik Pauze, in 2020.  Pauze adored the tree so much that he knocked on the Albert's front door to inquire about the tree.  His timing made Earl Albert's son, Michael, wonder if Pauze might be "an angel or something" because a few days before Pauze arrived his mom, Leslie, had passed. At the moment, Michael Albert's wife, Shawn gave this quote ..  This is definitely her handiwork.

Leslie and Earl Albert

When asked how it feels to donate their tree to Rockefeller Center, Earl Albert said these words .. "it's probably one of the greatest honors of my life".  Michael Albert noted that donating the tree also symbolizes a new chapter for their family. 

Honestly, it's a tribute to my mom.  It's a new beginning for the tree.  It's a new beginning for our family.

Michael Albert

The tree was cut down on Thursday, November 7 and arrived in Manhattan on November 9. The tree is now ready for its spectacular debut December 4 at 8:00 on NBC.  It will be adorned with more than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights and topped with a three-dimensional Swarovski star.

When the McGinley family who donated last year's tree learned the Alberts were the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree donors for 2024, they sent the family a card.  In it, the McGinleys wrote about their heartwarming experiences seeing their tree standing tall in Rockefeller Center during the 2023 tree lighting ceremony.  

You'll never forget the sound, the flip of the switch and the roar of the crowd.  You'll get chills and just the emotion, it's overwhelming emotion.

The McGinley's note to the Alberts

The Albert family will now get the chance to see the tree lighting, in person, this year.  Earl told NBC that his late wife will be on his mind.  In honor of Leslie, the family plans to make a memorial for her in the same spot where the tree once stood in Berkshire County.

Erik Pauza was asked .. what do you look for in your own Christmas tree?  His answer?  As if I'm the one who picks it!  I just have the pickup truck to take it home!

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tradition began in 1931 when Italian-American workers erected a 20-foot balsam fir on Christmas Eve.  The first official tree was lit in 1933 and was 50 feet tall.  

The tallest tree ever to grace Rockefeller Center was a 100-foot spruce from Killingworth, Connecticut in 1999. 

According to Erik Pauza the tree requirements are for it to be a nicely shaped Norway Spruce, typically at least 75 feet tall and dense enough that you "shouldn't be able to see the sky through it".  Being from the tri-state area generally helps.  Long distance is a consideration, but it's not a deal breaker.  In 1988, the tree was flown in from Ohio and there was one from Canada way back when!  The selection process takes a while, during which time the winner generally makes itself known.  

Sometimes I visit a tree several times over the year to watch it grow or fill out, but when I see the perfect one, I just know it.

Erik Pauze

An estimated 125 million people visit the attraction each year! From 1942-1944, the tree went unlit due to WWII. In 1997, the tree from Stony Point, NY was transported by barge down the Hudson River.  In 1999, the tallest tree ever was chosen standing at 100 feet.  

Merry Christmas