Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is a large Christmas tree placed annually in Rockefeller Center, in Midtown Manhattan. The tree is erected in mid November and lit in a public ceremony in late November or early December. Since 1997, the lighting has been broadcast live, to hundreds of millions, on NBC's "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" telecast on a Wednesday after Thanksgiving. The broadcast features live entertainment and a tree lighting ceremony, where the tree is lit by the current Mayor of New York City and special guests. An estimated 125 million people visit the attraction each
Martha Baird Rockefeller Martha Baird Rockefeller Martha Baird Rockefeller was an American pianist, philanthropist and longtime advocate for the arts. Born in Madera County, California in the community of Madera on March 15, 1895, Martha Baird Rockefeller was the second oldest child of merchant William F. Baird (1861—1916) and Almina Abby (Smith) Baird (1862—1903), a piano and organ instructor in the University of Southern California's College of Music. Her mother, who was known to family and friends as "Mina," was her first piano instructor; her first classroom experiences were undertaken at the Westside School on what is, today, the grounds of Madera High