Spruce up! Crews working on sad Rockefeller Center 2020 Christmas tree are spotted ADDING branch 'extensions' after tree was mocked online ahead of lighting next month
Crews were spotted adding branches to the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree after ir was mocked on social media for looking scraggly.
As scaffolding went up around the 75-foot-tall Norway Spruce, passersby noticed green boughs skewed about the tree.
Workers at Rockefeller Center said that it is 'normal' to add 'extensions' to the tree and that this is done every year to make it look fuller.
The tree, located in midtown Manhattan, is currently having five miles of lights added to it ahead of the annual tree lighting ceremony, taking place on December 2.
Crews were spotted on Thursday adding branches to the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City after it was mocked online for looking scraggly (above)
Workers at Rockefeller Center said that it is 'normal' to add 'extensions' to the tree and that this is done every year to make it look fuller
In a TikTok video, one Rockefeller center employee explained that holes are cut into the trunk of the tree to attach the extra branches, which are then wired to hold them steady (left and right)
Thousands took to social media to slam the three after it arrived in New York City on Saturday (pictured) following a two-day and 185-mile journey
The tree is seen where it stood in Oneonta before it was cut down on Thursday. Homeowner 'Daddy Al' Dick said that while the tree was beloved, he was glad to donate it due to the difficulties it created for yard maintenance
In a TikTok video, one Rockefeller Center employee likened the extra limbs being added to hair extensions or a weave.
'This happens every year we've done this. In my 19 years, this is what we do,' he said.
'We gotta make a pretty tree and all the parts to make a pretty tree, we've gotta add extensions. Simple as that.
'Once you got the extensions, you take the mask off the face and then, the next dy, she is gorgeous.'
He explained that holes are cut into the trunk of the tree to attach the extra branches, which are then wired to hold them steady.
After photos of the tree were erected on Saturday, following a two-day, 185-mile journey from upstate, it looked to be loose for wear.
Thousands took to social media to slam the tree as as sickly-looking 'An accurate representation of 2020,' wrote Instagram user Liz Eswein, along with a photo of the bedraggled tree.
'I expected nothing in 2020 to be good nice, or pretty and this tree confirms my dire expectations,' one Twitter user wrote.
Another said it has the 'same energy' as Charlie Brown's famously sad tree in the Peanuts cartoons.
Twitter users called it 'the perfect tree for 2020' and other users compared it to the tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Rockefeller Center clapped back in a tweet written in the voice of the tree itself: 'Wow, you all must look great right after a two-day drive, huh? Just wait until I get my lights on! See you on December 2!'
The tree made news earlier this week when photos emerged of a baby owl rescued from one of the limbs.
On Tuesday, the Ravensbeared Wildlife Center in upstate Saugerties revealed that one of the workers tasked with felling and transporting the tree had discovered the baby owl in the tree.
'It had been three days since he ate or drank anything,' the wildlife sanctuary said in a Facebook post. Experts have been providing the owl, named 'Rockefeller', fluids and 'all the mice he will eat.'
'So far so good, his eyes are bright and seems relatively in good condition with all he’s been through,' the Center said.
'Once he checks in with the vet and gets a clean bill of health, he’ll be released to continue on his wild and wonderful journey.'
On Tuesday, the Ravensbeared Wildlife Center revealed one of the workers tasked with felling and transporting the tree had discovered a baby owl in the tree (pictured)
Every year, the Rockefeller Center tree is decorated with thousands of lights on a five-mile-long wire and topped with a large star. The annual tree-light ceremony is expected to take place on December 2, but it will not be open to the general public. Pictured (left and right): Crews decorate the Rockefeller Center tree
The tree will be on display until early next year, at which point it will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, which will recycle it for use as lumber. Pictured: The 2020 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrives in New York City on Saturday
The tree's annual lighting ceremony will take place on December 2. There will be no public access to the ceremony, though it will be televised nationally on NBC beginning at 7pm Eastern time.
Visitors should be able to visit the tree during the holiday season - though Mayor Bill de Blasio still hasn't revealed plans to allow in-person viewing while limiting crowd sizes.
'Details about how to visit the lit Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be announced in the coming weeks,' the property managers said in a statement.
Every year, the Rockefeller Center tree is decorated with thousands of lights on a five-mile-long wire and topped with a large star.
This year's star will weigh 900 pounds, made up of some 3 million Swarovski crystals on 70 illuminated spikes.
The tree was donated by Daddy Al's General Store in Oneonta. 'Daddy Al' Dick said he was honored to have his tree erected in Rockefeller Plaza, and glad to be rid of the extra yard work it created.
It will likely remain on display in Rockefeller Center until early next year, at which point the tree will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, which will recycle it for use as lumber.
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