Let’s Light the Christmas Tree

Tonight, a longtime holiday tradition continues in New York’s Rockefeller Center with the 76th annual tree lighting ceremony. While New Yorkers like myself know better than to brave the crowds in midtown until well into next year, tourists and tree-lovers alike flock to the landmark to take part in the festivities every year.

Jewelry hounds will be happy to note that the glittering star on top of the 8-ton, 72-foot Norway spruce is a miracle in and of itself. The Swarovski sparkler weighs in at a whopping 550 pounds, is over 9 feet tall and is made of 25,000 glittering crystals. What a way to ‘bling’ in the holiday season!

Tony Bennett, Harry Connick, Jr., Jamie Foxx and Beyonce are among the entertainers scheduled to perform, and Britney Spears is expected to officially ‘light’ the 30,000 energy-efficient LED bulbs that sit on over 5 miles of wire.

Other important guests include a Pascagoula, Mississippi family whose new home was built in part with lumber from last year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, an 84-foot-tall Norway spruce.

Light for the holiday season, and light at the end of the tunnel. A wonderful sentiment and a glittering way to mark the official start of the holiday season.

NBC will air the entire ceremony tonight at 8pm.