Christmas comes to New York City Nov 28, 2018

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree draws throngs of people to Midtown each year to celebrate the holidays. The tradition started in the 1930s, when construction workers at Rockefeller Center pooled their money to buy a tree. Officials at Rockefeller Center later formalized the event, especially today’s lighting ceremony, which will be attended by thousands of onlookers. Each year’s tree is selected by the head gardener at Rockefeller Center and topped with a huge star adorned with Swarovski crystals. This year, the tree introduces a new star designed by architect Daniel Libeskind—it weighs 900 pounds, is more than 9 feet in diameter, and features 70 spikes and three million crystals outfitted with LED lights to emit rays in all directions. In January, the tree is milled, and the lumber donated to Habitat for Humanity. We think Santa would approve.

© Thorney Lieberman/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Nov 28, 2019Wild turkeys in repose
Nov 28, 2021Celebrating Panama s independence
Nov 28, 2022Red Planet Day
Nov 28, 2023Giving Tuesday
Nov 28, 2024Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov 28, 2025Celebrating Native American Heritage Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 22, 2020It s not always sunny in Abu Simbel…
Mar 1, 2021Gazing upon Portraits of Change
Jan 30, 2024Aýna, Albacete, Spain
Feb 8, 2026Corfu at night, Greece
Oct 11, 2023National Fossil Day
Feb 9, 2019A tale of almonds and bees
Jul 27, 2019Longer days mean warmer sand
Mar 31, 2022Happy Birthday, Eiffel Tower
Apr 3, 2026Armbrug bridge, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Jul 27, 2025Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
May 14, 2019Cannes, France, in the spotlight
Apr 24, 2023Old underground cellar, Bavaria, Germany
Jan 14, 2019An island oasis in the Indian Ocean
Mar 23, 2020A peak in the clouds
Jun 1, 2023World Reef Awareness Day
Feb 14, 2018Aerial view of a heart-shaped field in Trittau, Germany
Dec 15, 2019The Battle of the Bulge 75 years later
Sep 22, 2022First day of autumn
Aug 26, 2023Museum Night in Berlin
Oct 2, 2019Wild scene on the Merced River
Dec 7, 2019Remembering the Arizona
Jul 21, 2025Coral Reef Awareness Week
Jan 27, 2026Dalmatian pelicans, Lake Kerkini, Greece
Mar 25, 2026Juvenile manatees in a freshwater spring, Crystal River, Florida
Nov 12, 2024Arches National Park anniversary
Mar 7, 2023Terraced rice fields, Yuanyang County, China
May 18, 2019A ‘city’ within Valencia
Oct 10, 2025Visiting the Mamanuca Islands for Fiji Day
Mar 3, 2026World Wildlife Day
Jul 19, 2024A young jaguar on a riverbank, Pantanal, Brazil