Erik Pauze knows a thing or two about evergreens.
In fact, after decades of handpicking the Norway spruce that serves as one of the most famous Christmas trees in the world, it’s fair to say he’s a veritable expert on the subject.
“It’s a lot of fun to be on a journey every year, it’s exciting,” Pauze tells TODAY.com of his job as CEO of choosing the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
The 59-year-old has been the head gardener at Rockefeller Center for more than 30 years and included among his many duties is selecting the tree that serves as one of New York’s most beloved holiday traditions.
Attracting millions of visitors every year, Rockefeller Center’s iconic tree has been a staple on the plaza since a group of construction workers first set up a balsam during the Great Depression back in 1931. Two years later, in 1933, the tradition was cemented with tree-lighting ceremony and the rest, as they say, is history.
The first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree erected by a group of construction workers in 1931.
As the driving force behind choosing the Norway spruce, then overseeing its transport to 30 Rockefeller Center for nearly 20 years, Pauze has earned his own place in the annals of 30 Rock’s Christmas tree lore.
But how did he land this one-of-a-kind job? Moreover, what goes into picking the annual Rockefeller Center tree?
To find out, TODAY.com spoke to the horticulturist about how he became the caretaker of the world-famous evergreen and the months-long process behind bringing this legendary Midtown Manhattan landmark to life each year.
The Road to Rockefeller Center
Erik Pauze (left) in front of the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Diane Bondareff / AP Content Services for Tishman Speyer
For a lot of people, it’s enough of a challenge to keep a freshly-cut tree alive long enough to see Santa slide down the chimney, let alone maintain a 75-foot-tall Norway Spruce in the center of the universe for two months.
Fortunately, Pauze has plenty of experience in that department.
A Long Island native, Pauze attended Farmingdale State College and while there, he worked part time as a gardener’s helper at Rockefeller Center.
Upon earning his associate’s degree in horticulture, Pauze was hired to work full time at the esteemed New York City landmark and he’s been there ever since.
Years before he became the official “Christmas Tree Guy,” Pauze joined his boss, David Murbach, manager of the gardens division at Rockefeller Center, as he scouted out potential trees, a job Murbach held for more than 25 years before his death in 2010.
It was from Murbach that Pauze learned the ins and outs of selecting and cutting down one of the most well-known evergreens on the planet. Surprisingly, it’s not just about finding exactly the right tree, it’s also about doing it mindfully.
“The goal is you don’t want to be in the way, you don’t want to take over the neighborhood. You want to come and go as nobody even noticed you were there,” says Pauze. “You want everybody to enjoy it.”
The 2025 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in the yard of the Russ family in East Greenbush, New York. Courtesy of Tishman Speyer
Unlike your annual pilgrimage to the cut-your-own Christmas tree farm, Rockefeller Center tree prospects are specced out months, sometimes years, in advance.
“First you’ve got to find a nice, big, beautiful Norway spruce that you would want to put up in your living room and look good in front of your house,” Pauze told TODAY.com in a 2022 interview.
To find just the right one, Pauze explained that he typically scouts out 50 to 60 trees around the country before narrowing down his options by midsummer. “Ten of them are good, then three are really good,” he said.
Once he’s settled on “The One,” Pauze frequently returns to feed, water and check on it throughout the summer and well into the fall months before it’s taken down in November.
After the mammoth tree has been cut, it’s placed on a special trailer reserved just for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, then transported to New York City.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas is transported to New York City aboard a special trailer. TODAY
According to the horticulturist, while a single tree is chosen to be the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, several are identified in case there’s a change of plans — which, fortunately, hasn’t happened yet.
If you’re curious to know why the Rockefeller Center tree is always a Norway spruce, Pauze says it’s because the variety is sturdy enough to withstand all the demands put upon it.
“The Norway spruce is a big, beautiful strong tree. We put a lot of lights on it, there’s a lot of wires, there’s a lot of cables. There’s the eight-inch pipe that goes 32 feet down into the tree that holds the 900-pound Swarovski star. So, the Norway spruce is the perfect tree to do all that work,” says Pauze.
Beyond aesthetics, Pauze says that every Rockefeller Center tree is unique.
“Every tree has their own story and that’s what makes every tree special in its own way,” he tells TODAY.com.
Forging a Personal Connection
The 2024 Rockefeller Christmas Tree being wrapped for transport in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Diane Bondareff / AP Content Services for Tishman Speyer
Even in the off months, Pauze says he’s always keeping an eye out for the perfect Norway spruce.
“Anywhere I go, I am constantly looking, always looking,” he says, explaining that he’s always taking new routes during his various travels, just in case he should happen across a prospective tree.
In the process, he’s gotten to do things he might not have otherwise done.
“I’ve seen some pretty cool places over the years. I saw where Babe Ruth hit his first home run. I saw one place that had the world’s biggest teapot,” he says.
Even on his driving breaks, Pauze says he’s discovered unknown wonders.
“I’ve taken a half an hour and walked around some state parks that are absolutely, incredibly beautiful. So, that’s another blessing that I get for doing this job.”
But perhaps the biggest blessing is the families he’s come to know through the years, many of which he still keeps in touch with, and all have left their mark.
Erik Pauze, Rockefeller Center’s head gardener and the CEO of choosing and caring for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.Diane Bondareff / AP Content Services for Tishman Speyer
“Everybody has a backstory and everybody has a great story. Those are the stories I like to share with people,” Pauze says.
“That’s what’s exciting every year — is the stories and the families and the reasons that they donate the tree to Rockefeller Center and the world.”
Does it make him emotional to know that he’s the driving force behind bringing joy to so many people around the holidays?
“I take that part of my job very seriously,” he says. “I want somebody else to have that experience that I had when Mom and Dad took me down to the see Christmas tree at Rock Center when I was a kid.”
In more recent years, Pauze recalls standing near the Rockefeller Center tree and overhearing a child tell their parent, “Wow, look at that tree, Dad, that’s bigger than ours!”
“That’s what I want, that’s what I look for, that’s what I take very seriously,” says Pauze of his job.
As for retiring, Pauze says he has no plans to hang up his hat anytime soon.
“As long as I’m able to do it, I want to do this job. It’s really exciting. It’s really fun. I really love the relationships that I’ve built over the years.”
Comments are closed.