CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK 

Many people in the United States celebrates Christmas day on December 25. The day celebrates Jesus Christ's birth. It is often combined with customs from pre-Christian winter celebrations. many people erect Christmas trees, decorate their homes, visit family and friends and exchange gifts.

In the days or even weeks before Christmas Day, many people decorate their homes and gardens with lights, Christmas trees and much more. It is common to organize a special meal, often consisting of turkey and a lot of other festive foods, for family or friends and exchange gifts with them. Children, in particular, often receive a lot of gifts from their parents and other relatives and the mythical figure of Santa Claus.

The Christmas tree tradition most likely came to the United States with Hessian troops during the American Revolution, or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania and Ohio. The Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when Catskill farmer Mark Carr hauled two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them all. By 1900, one in five American families had a Christmas tree, and 20 years later, the custom was nearly universal.

ROCKEFELLER CHRISTMAS TREE

The Rockefeller Christmas Tree is a large Christmas tree placed anually in Rockefeller Center in mid-town Manhattan in New York City. The tree, 69 to 100 feet tall, has been put up every year since 1933. The decorated Christmas Tree remains lit at Rockefeller Center through January 6th , which is the Christian feast of The Epiphany. 

Thousands of onlookers crowded behind barricades on the streets that surrounded the center during the traditional tree-lighting ceremony for the Christmas holiday season. A video screen projected an image of the tree for those who did not have a direct line of sight.

Illuminated by more than 30,000 lights, the tree is topped by a Swarovski star.