Christmas Rock! How Rockefeller Tree Dwarfs Household Displays (Infographic)

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Rockefeller Christmas Tree
(Image credit: Michael Reis | Purch Creative Ops)

With the exception of the blackout during World War II, a Christmas tree has lit up Rockefeller Center in New York City every year during the holidays since 1933 This year's tree towers at 94 feet (28.6 meters) tall and will be festooned with thousands of lights. But in past years, decorators have draped the three with animal-shaped ornaments, cranberry garlands and, more recently, energy-saving light-emitting diodes (LEDs), according to Time magazine.

The enormous tree may be a sight to behold, but how does it compare with its little cousins, the regular Christmas trees that decorate people's homes?

Here is a quick look at the big granddaddy tree — set to be lit at 7 p.m. ET on Nov. 30 — and its smaller relatives around the country.

Laura Geggel
Laura Geggel
Editor

Laura is the archaeology and Life's Little Mysteries editor at Live Science. She also reports on general science, including paleontology. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Scholastic, Popular Science and Spectrum, a site on autism research. She has won multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association for her reporting at a weekly newspaper near Seattle. Laura holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in science writing from NYU.