Holidays

Rock Center tree comes down today — here is what's next for the 11-ton Norway Spruce

The holiday season in New York City comes to an end as the Rock Center tree lights dim on final time

NBC Universal, Inc.

What happens to the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree after it is taken down? It turns out that its mission to spread joy and cheer goes far beyond the holiday season. NBC New York’s Jennifer Vázquez reports. 

The lights are dimming on this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

The 11-ton Norway Spruce received a light dusting of snow on its final day before crews bring it down to be milled and repurposed.

Anyone looking to catch one final peak at the holiday spectacle has until 10 p.m. on Saturday. After that, the tree goes dark -- officially bringing an end to the holidays in New York City.

This year's tree came from Massachusetts -- the first tree to come from that state since 1959.

What happens to the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree after it comes down?

The tree goes from providing Christmas joy to providing housing.

When the tree is taken down, it is laid in Rockefeller Plaza to be cut up and taken to a yard in New Jersey. There it is milled into two-by-four and two-by six beams and branded with a Rockefeller Center stamp.

Tishman Speyer, the firm that owns and operates Rockefeller Center, then donates the lumber to Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps to build and improve homes across the country.  

Photos: Star-studded performers dazzle at Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting

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Kelly Clarkson performs during the 2024 Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 04, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

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