Prometheus with the RCMH Rockettes

The Prometheus statue at Rockefeller Center in New York City symbolizes the Greek Titan's mission and the complex's own mission of honoring the past while looking toward the future.

Prometheus is a Greek Titan who defied the gods by giving fire to humanity which is why he is credited with civilization and progress.  Prometheus also symbolizes the human quest for knowledge and striving as well as the ambition to achieve freedom and the greater good for all.  The gold statue is located at Rockefeller Center at the foot of the Christmas tree and where the skating rink is set up during the winter months.  The statue is surrounded by a fountain which represents the sea and is encircled by a ring of the zodiac which represents the heavens. 

Prometheus was created by Paul Manship, a leading American sculptor of the 20th century in 1934. Manship was inspired by Archaic Greek art which he adapted for the statue. An icon of history can be recognizable to the eye, yet it's possible that we know nothing about it.  That is often the case for the gold statue in Rockefeller Center's lower Plaza.  When picturing the skating rink, we don't only imagine the sunken rink itself or the flow of skaters moving in a circle, but we see Prometheus, the 18-foot-tall, eight-ton gilded cast bronze sculpture.

Prometheus has been in the background of countless concerts, tree lightings, skating shows and special events, but few are aware of its meaning or where it came from.  Prometheus is just one piece of public art that was integrated into the plans of  Rockefeller Center, but is definitely one of the most recognizable.  Many sources say Prometheus is the fourth most recognizable statue in the country behind the Lincoln Memorial, Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore and is the most photographed piece of art in NYC.  

Prometheus perfectly embodies both ancient myths and forward-thinking progress.  He is depicted in motion, thrusting forward with his right arm held high, handingoff the eternal flame to all of mankind. He sits on a mountain (Earth), is surrounded by the fountain (sea) and is encircled by the ring of the zodiac (heavens). An inscription accompanies the sculpture.  

Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends.

John Canning & Co. located in Cheshire, CT, leaders in historic preservation and restoration restored Prometheus using gold leaf gilding.

Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center

 

The Famous 12 Angels Created by Artist, Valerie Clarebout

A towering figure group called Christmas Angels reaching eight-feet in height made from miles of wire stretch have appeared along the Channel Gardens every year at Rockefeller Center installed since 1954. They are winged, robed and haloed, each holding a 6-foot-long brass trumpet toward the famed Christmas tree that heralds the holiday season.  Much like the world-famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree these 12 angels created by the artist Valerie Clarebout are an annual presence at Christmastime in NYC. Clarebout designed both the figures and the luminous snowflakes to sparkle with light and energy from thousands of tiny glittering lights.

It took 75 pounds of wire to build each 8-foot-tall winged figure.  The angels are arranged to face one another along the Channel Gardens with fountains turned off serenading passersby on the way to Center Plaza.  In total, Clarebout used 76 miles of material including 18 miles of brass wire wrapped around an aluminum armature (framework used by a sculptor to support a figure) plus thousands of minature lights to complete the celestial display.

While there is plenty of world-class art to be seen in and around Rockefeller Center, Clarebout's sculptures are unique in their semi-permanence.

She's the only artist whose work is regularly installed and removed for a period of time. She came back year after year to work on them.

Christine Roussel

Rockefeller Center archivist

Born in the early 1900s, Clarebout studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and Julien Studio in Paris before moving to the United States in 1952.  Robert Carson, Rockefeller Center's architect, soon hired the inventive sculptor to design angels for the Plaza.  She went on to produce other collections that included 9-foot-tall snowmen, 12 elegant reindeer and even one project comprised of 72 animals and four 8-foot-tall trees.  She eventually made the Christmas angels we see today, working out of her New Fairfield, Connecticut studio. 

A year before her passing in 1982, Clarebout spoke to the New York Times about the angels saying:  I love them  I love this time of year.  Since I was a child I had a tremendous feeling for Christmas quite apart from a religious holiday.  I used to lie on the ground and I thought I could feel the earth being reborn.  That's how I always thought of Christmas .. as the rebirth of the earth.  And now, of course, every year I think of it as bringing the angels back to life.

Valerie Clarebout

(1908-1982)

Circa 1954-1956

The Channel Gardens

Rockefeller Center

NYC

The Elf on the Shelf is a fairly new Christmas 'tradition'.  The Elf first made its appearance in the book "The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition" in 2005.  The book was written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell.  It is based on a family tradition that Chanda and her sister, Christa had when they were growing up.  The book comes with an elf. 

Carol had an elf doll that would 'magically' appear in a different part of the house every morning leading up to Christmas.  Chanda and Christa were told the Elf was watchingthem and it would tell Santa if they'd been naughty.

If you own an Elf on the Shelf, then you know there are many cute ideas to display your cute elf around the house during the holidays.  Elves love Christmastime and one of their favorite things about the holiday season are the festive decorations.  A perfect location for your elf is in your festive holiday wreath.  Elves also like to sit in Christmas trees among the ornaments, on a kitchen counter next to the hot chocolate mugs, on a window sill, by a plate of cookies for Santa or even on a festive fireplace mantel with garland and lights.  Any Elf on the Shelf likes to hide candy canes so plan a Candy Cane Hunt throughout the holiday season or on Christmas morning.

Two elf quotes .. Treat every day like its Christmas! .. There's room for everyone on the nice list!

Elf on the Shelf

floating above the 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Merry Christmas 

 

Rowland Hussey Macy Sr.

(1822-1877)

Rowland Hussey Macy Sr. was an American businessman who founded the department store chain Macy's in 1858.  It was orginally known as R.H. Macy & Co. and is located at Herald Square in the borough of Manhattan.  The company had 94,000 employees and annual revenue of $24.3 billion as of January 2023.

Macy's has conducted the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City since 1924 and has sponsored the city's annual Fourth of July fireworks display since 1976.  Macy's Herald Square is one of the largest department stores in the world.  The flagship store covers almost an entire New York City block, features about 1.1 million square feet of retail space and serves as the endpoint for the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Macy's Advertisement

September 22, 1872

 

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

 Christmas Spectacular

at

Radio City Music Hall

 

Rockettes must be between 5'5" and 5'10 1/2" tall (measurements taken in stocking feet.  Rockettes must be proficient in ballet, tap and jazz. All performers must be 18 years of age by the first day of rehearsals to be considered for casting.  Technically, there is no maximum age limit, but Rockettes typically aim to hit the goal of at least 10 years on the stage before hanging up their tap shoes.  In 2022, the Rockettes lowered the minimum height to 5'5".

The Sullivan Twins

Courtney and Caitlin Sullivan

in 1925, the Rockettes were founded in St. Louis and were originally known as the Missouri Rockets. They performed at the Missouri Theatre.  Since 1932, the Rockettes have performed at Radio City Music Hall. On August 1, 2007, the Rockettes were inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

In 1957, the Radio City Rockettes performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the very first time and they have performed every year since.  

Parade of the Wooded Soldiers

The Famous Rockette Eye-High Kick Line

at the

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

 

Tis' the Season