December 3, 2025 • 5 mins
Mendte in the Morning sent Natalie Migliore out on the street to talk to the people of NYC about the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting tonight and where they traveled from to see it.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now it's seventen w oars Beat on the Street with
Natalie Miglioroi. Well, it's that day again for some people.
This is one of the biggest days of the year.
The Christmas Tree lighting at Rockefeller Center used to be.
As Natalie was telling me, people would camp out on
this So are there people already there? Now? Let's find
(00:23):
out from Natalie Migliori and her Beat on the Street.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Natalie, Yeah, good morning, Larry. It's going to really start
looking a lot like Christmas tonight. The halls are decked
and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is topped with its
nine hundred pounds Warrofsky Star and it's ready to get lit.
I will say nobody's sleeping outside right now because of
(00:48):
security measures that's really changed. Nobody's really going to be
able to get as close as they used to be.
They make everybody leave the area and then come back
in for for security to be screened. So that's not it.
But the fifty thousand lights that line the seventy foot
tree that helds from East Green Bush, roughly two and
a half hours north of here, is a big deal
(01:10):
around here. But some people came farther than that.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Atlanta, Georgia, Dayton, Ohio. Do look Grand Rapids, Michigan, England,
all the way from Loving, Texas or from Texas.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
We're here from Chicago, Living Maine. Well, I've been seeing
this three for forty one years now, so it's forty
one three. I'll see it here. It's beautiful trees.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
When it gets lit. What's the feeling like?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Oh man, excited and like something you never see in
a long time. I mean, though you see so many
times it's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Did you walk past it purposely or now?
Speaker 3 (01:37):
No?
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Ill work right New thirty Rock.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
So that's why I said forty one years forty one
trees forty one years.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
You say, at the same drop of forty one years
one years, that's a dedicated employee. Yes, I say, Christmas bonus.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
I hope to hear that one and not a small
one eagle, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
A little.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Maybe his Christmas bonus, Larry, is that he gets to
see the tree. Maybe that's the boss's all human, that
he's all there all the time. But he's obviously the
closest to the three working right there. But as in
New Yorker, I always have to ask people why New
York during the holidays. What's drawing them here, especially to
this tree.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Because it's beautiful and getting in the Christmas holiday spirit.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
It's so iconic, you know. It's just one of those
things that and just be nice to see in person.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
I think just because of traveling wise with friends, family.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
It's something we haven't done before.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Everybody talks about it on the TV.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
You know, the big tree.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
You see him movies and stuff, so we want to
experience it ourselves. I turned fifty this year, and this
is what I wanted for my birthday. We're here and
I'm crying because I'm here.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Why was this what you wanted?
Speaker 3 (02:39):
We don't do things like this in lumbch I mean,
we've got, you know, trees that you know, or we
have a Santa Land and we have things like that.
But this is where people from all over the world
come to see this.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, these Chicagoans tell me they just happen to be
in New York, even if they've been following the story
of the nearly seventy five year old evergreen that was
donated by the Rout family who owns the property it
grew on.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Absolutely not, although we did hear the whole story on
TV about the family it came from and everything, so
it's actually, yeah, it's actually kind of special. I think
it's a beautiful story because they're giving something that they
have grown, that they have you know grown, it's been
a part of their family for so many years and
now we get to get to be a part of it.
And then it's going to go back to Habitat for Humanity,
(03:24):
So they're going to continue giving even after today.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Yeah, that tree does get turned into a home for somebody,
so they're emotional for somebody to see up clothes that
they've never before. And now several streets around the tree
will close leading up to the Star Study tree lighting
ceremony to make sure everyone who attends goes through some
sort of security screening. When people found this out, others
(03:48):
not really planning to attend, but others are still planning
to see this tree be lit in bertain.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, we're here look at it, and no, just stumbled
upon it.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Just coming before all the crowds hit, trying to see
what's we're going for tonight.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
We'll see it tomorrow after we've seen it in darkness.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So we go down tomorrow and it's not as busy
as tonight.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
But yeah, we've seen it. We plan on coming to
see it tonight. We will be here. I don't know
how close. We've got a lot of things we want
to see today, so we're still going to keep on
doing things. So I don't know how close we're going
to be able to be to the whole celebration and
to see all the singer, the you know, artists coming
and everything. But yeah, we're going to be here.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
They are all the way from Texas or wherever everybody's from, Larry.
They all came to see this tree.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Have you ever gone not to the tree lighting? But
every year you at some point, Yeah, at different buys.
Ceremonial is a little bit more commitment, a little bit
more a.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Lot of commitment.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, and it gets cold. It always seems to be
so cold. Today they light the tree.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I'll be back tomorrow. Old age fifteen,
Now it's seventen w oars Beat on the Street with
Natalie Miglioroi. Well, it's that day again for some people.
This is one of the biggest days of the year.
The Christmas Tree lighting at Rockefeller Center used to be.
As Natalie was telling me, people would camp out on
this So are there people already there? Now? Let's find
(00:23):
out from Natalie Migliori and her Beat on the Street.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Natalie, Yeah, good morning, Larry. It's going to really start
looking a lot like Christmas tonight. The halls are decked
and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is topped with its
nine hundred pounds Warrofsky Star and it's ready to get lit.
I will say nobody's sleeping outside right now because of
(00:48):
security measures that's really changed. Nobody's really going to be
able to get as close as they used to be.
They make everybody leave the area and then come back
in for for security to be screened. So that's not it.
But the fifty thousand lights that line the seventy foot
tree that helds from East Green Bush, roughly two and
a half hours north of here, is a big deal
(01:10):
around here. But some people came farther than that.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Atlanta, Georgia, Dayton, Ohio. Do look Grand Rapids, Michigan, England,
all the way from Loving, Texas or from Texas.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
We're here from Chicago, Living Maine. Well, I've been seeing
this three for forty one years now, so it's forty
one three. I'll see it here. It's beautiful trees.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
When it gets lit. What's the feeling like?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Oh man, excited and like something you never see in
a long time. I mean, though you see so many
times it's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Did you walk past it purposely or now?
Speaker 3 (01:37):
No?
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Ill work right New thirty Rock.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
So that's why I said forty one years forty one
trees forty one years.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
You say, at the same drop of forty one years
one years, that's a dedicated employee. Yes, I say, Christmas bonus.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
I hope to hear that one and not a small
one eagle, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
A little.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Maybe his Christmas bonus, Larry, is that he gets to
see the tree. Maybe that's the boss's all human, that
he's all there all the time. But he's obviously the
closest to the three working right there. But as in
New Yorker, I always have to ask people why New
York during the holidays. What's drawing them here, especially to
this tree.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Because it's beautiful and getting in the Christmas holiday spirit.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
It's so iconic, you know. It's just one of those
things that and just be nice to see in person.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
I think just because of traveling wise with friends, family.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
It's something we haven't done before.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Everybody talks about it on the TV.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
You know, the big tree.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
You see him movies and stuff, so we want to
experience it ourselves. I turned fifty this year, and this
is what I wanted for my birthday. We're here and
I'm crying because I'm here.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Why was this what you wanted?
Speaker 3 (02:39):
We don't do things like this in lumbch I mean,
we've got, you know, trees that you know, or we
have a Santa Land and we have things like that.
But this is where people from all over the world
come to see this.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, these Chicagoans tell me they just happen to be
in New York, even if they've been following the story
of the nearly seventy five year old evergreen that was
donated by the Rout family who owns the property it
grew on.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Absolutely not, although we did hear the whole story on
TV about the family it came from and everything, so
it's actually, yeah, it's actually kind of special. I think
it's a beautiful story because they're giving something that they
have grown, that they have you know grown, it's been
a part of their family for so many years and
now we get to get to be a part of it.
And then it's going to go back to Habitat for Humanity,
(03:24):
So they're going to continue giving even after today.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Yeah, that tree does get turned into a home for somebody,
so they're emotional for somebody to see up clothes that
they've never before. And now several streets around the tree
will close leading up to the Star Study tree lighting
ceremony to make sure everyone who attends goes through some
sort of security screening. When people found this out, others
(03:48):
not really planning to attend, but others are still planning
to see this tree be lit in bertain.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, we're here look at it, and no, just stumbled
upon it.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Just coming before all the crowds hit, trying to see
what's we're going for tonight.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
We'll see it tomorrow after we've seen it in darkness.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So we go down tomorrow and it's not as busy
as tonight.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
But yeah, we've seen it. We plan on coming to
see it tonight. We will be here. I don't know
how close. We've got a lot of things we want
to see today, so we're still going to keep on
doing things. So I don't know how close we're going
to be able to be to the whole celebration and
to see all the singer, the you know, artists coming
and everything. But yeah, we're going to be here.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
They are all the way from Texas or wherever everybody's from, Larry.
They all came to see this tree.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Have you ever gone not to the tree lighting? But
every year you at some point, Yeah, at different buys.
Ceremonial is a little bit more commitment, a little bit
more a.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Lot of commitment.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, and it gets cold. It always seems to be
so cold. Today they light the tree.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I'll be back tomorrow. Old age fifteen,
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