The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree-lighting ceremony is a meaningful annual tradition for families in and around New York City, but this year’s ceremony will be especially significant for one family in particular. This year’s tree, a 75-foot-tall Norway spruce, has officially arrived in New York City after the Russ family donated it. For many years, the tree stood on the family’s property. Judy Russ, 37, and her late husband, Dan, moved into their home (which had belonged to Dan’s great-grandparents) in East Greenbush, New York, in 2017. Now, Judy sees the tree as a way to honor her husband, who died at age 32 in 2020.
“As my husband has passed away, I know he would have loved to have been here for this moment,” Judy told NBC correspondent Joe Fryer on TODAY. “We always talked about it being the (Rockefeller Center) tree. It’s so special that my family’s tree gets to be America’s, if not the world’s, Christmas tree.”
Originally, when the Russ family thought their tree could be the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree someday, it was more of a lighthearted joke. They had also joked about renting a crane to decorate the tree, Judy told NBC New York. “When we decided maybe we should rent a crane to decorate it is when we realized this is more than just your typical tree in a yard, that this really could be something special,” she explained.
Then, last winter, Judy and her son, Liam, 7, visited New York City and realized the Rockefeller tree really did remind them of the tree they had at home. “I was like, ‘You know, I have a tree similar to that in my backyard.’ So, that kind of sparked it,'” she said.
On December 3, when Judy and Liam will visit the city again for the tree-lighting ceremony, they will see their family tree decorated with 50,000 lights in honor of Dan. Judy knows it will be an emotional experience.
“I cry at home in my living room when the tree is lit, so I’m probably going to be inconsolable that day, but it’s going to be great,” she told TODAY. “Spread joy, spread cheer, love one another. Think of our family, think of my husband, think of us. We’re just happy to share it with everybody.”
Liam added that he’s “excited that the whole world can see it.”
When the tree was cut down to take to Rockefeller Center, Judy noticed a bald eagle fly by. To her, it felt like a sign. “My husband was an avid bird nerd, and I mean that in the best way possible,” she told NBC. “So, if there ever was a way to make it feel like he was there with us, that would for sure be it, because it is rare to see bald eagles where we are.”
