The Rockefeller Christmas Tree

Bought to you by Mack Truck, (Literally)

Growing up near New York City, I always remember the news coverage when they lit the massive Christmas tree each year at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. But I never gave much thought how they got the 8 ton, 80-plus foot tree into the middle of crowded Manhattan, until I got a call at work early in 2001.

I was selling Mack Trucks in Central New Jersey, when a call came in asking for a quote on a 2002 CH. The truck would be factory ordered and had to come with certain specifications. This wasn’t unusual, as Mack Trucks are mostly Vocational trucks, and even out Highway trucks like the CH could be ordered with heavier rears, suspension, and a variety of transmissions. The transmission choice is key to installing the right PTO, depending on what hydraulic system you require, (a Wet kit).

I called back with a price, and they agreed to do business, and arranged to come to place the order. The company was Torsilieri, Inc, a very prominent landscaping company, who is still known for delivering huge works of art and structures throughout the Northeast. And the Torsilieri’s also have been responsible for cutting down and delivering most of the Rockefeller Christmas Trees since 1982.

The CH was to replace their aging Mack Superliner, so this truck had to meet some big expectations. The Superliner was originally a Brock truck design, built for heavy hauling. When Mack acquired Brock in 1977, they kept the truck, added a Mack body, and an updated engine. Mack Superliners, which were built between 1977 to 1992, became very desirable because it was the only Mack Model that came with either a 500 HP Caterpillar engine, (C15 or 3406), or the Mack E9, a V8 diesel engine capable of well over 500 HP, (many of which are still being used today).

When the new Mack arrived in the late summer that year, the Torsilieri’s were thrilled with the truck, a CH613, complete with the heavy duty Mack Rears and a Mack 454 E-7.

A few months later, we got an invitation to watch the Mack go to work picking up and delivering an 80 foot tree from Wayne, NJ, to Rockefeller Center. This is when I learned the humble beginnings of the famous tree lighting event.

When the actual construction of the Rockefeller Center started in 1931, the country was in the depths of the Great Depression. The project was a Godsend to many desperate workers, made up of many immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Germans and other nations. Also, many members of the Mohawk native American tribe from upstate New York and First Nation tribes from Canada came to prominence for their ability to work on the “high steel”. It was these humble workers, who raised the first Christmas tree at the Rockefeller site on Christmas Eve, 1931.

Even though they worked for small wages to do very dangerous work, these men were thankful, and it is said that they were very proud of their Christmas Tree on a muddy construction site, being their way to show their belief in the importance of the birth of Jesus.

Over the years, different pastors and Christian leaders have disparaged different symbols, such as Christmas trees, due to their origin being pagan in nature. Even the celebration of Christmas is downplayed by some believers

And of course, it is Easter, not Christmas, when God’s own Son was sacrificed for all of us, that is truly the most important day to celebrate.

But I have faith that God doesn’t do things by accident. When He had the Apostle Luke give a detailed description of the circumstances of Jesus birth, and how the most wonderful news ever was shared with the humblest of people by a sky full of singing angels, God of course knew that this image would stir the hearts of men and woman who read the account.

And those workmen who raised the first Rockefeller tree on that Christmas Eve, probably didn’t know about theological debates of the tree’s symbolic origin, nor would they probably of cared. They did know that each December 25th was the time to celebrate, by putting gifts under a beautifully decorated tree, to remember the most precious gift that was given to the entire world, Jesus the Christ.

And my hope is that when people gaze at the latest Norwegian Spruce decorating the same piece of land in Manhattan 93 years later, that many will remember it’s not the tree we celebrate, but it’s just a reminder of the gift God gave all of us, His only Son. And it’s still a gift that is available to anyone who freely accepts it. The one gift people can receive that will not only change their lives here on earth, but for eternity.

So, when you see the Rockefeller Christmas tree lit each year, with all the associated celebrities and hoopla, remember it started with a group of unknown, earnest workers who just wanted to share in the joy they felt at the birthday of Jesus. Men similar to the people each year that cut down the tree, rig it on the truck, and drive it to 30 Rockefeller Plaza. On a Mack truck.