A Brief History of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

A Star Is Born
Last year, pop star Fergie unveiled the 550-lb. Swarovski Star, created for the Rockefeller Christmas tree by German artist Michael Hammers for the 100-year-old Austrian company. Standing 10 ft. tall and composed of 25,000 crystals with a total of 1 million facets, it was the largest star to ever top the tree and the first to represent a corporate sponsor. Neither the crystalmaker nor Rockefeller Center would disclose how much money changed hands, but some speculate Swarovski paid as much as $1.5 million for the rights to the tree's crown. Either way, it is a far cry from the 4-ft. plastic star used during the 1950s and '60s or the fiberglass and gold-leaf star that adorned the tree during the late 1990s.

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