Man who grew Rockefeller Christmas tree with heartfelt story might miss lighting ceremony
ALBANY, N.Y. (WJW) – The man who won the hearts of Christmas lovers nationwide after his tree was picked as the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree might not get to attend the lighting after suffering a stroke.
Earl Albert, the man who planted this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree with his wife Leslie in 1967, is currently recovering in an Albany, New York hospital, according to local news outlet The Berkshire Eagle .
Now, family and friends are hoping for a speedy recovery so Albert is able to attend the tree lighting on Dec. 4 in New York City. They are also hoping that Albert is flooded with Christmas cards this holiday season to bring him Christmas cheer.
Earl and Leslie Albert planted the tree when they were newlyweds. At the time, the tree was just waist-high.
The family decorated it with Christmas lights every year for the holiday until the tree just got too big. Fifty-seven years later, it grew to a towering 74 feet tall.
Erik Pauze thought it would be the perfect centerpiece to a Rockefeller Christmas.
He's the head gardener for Rockefeller Center, and it's his job to find a tree every year and figure out how to transport it to New York City.
He knocked on the Albert's door back in 2020. Lesley had just died 2 days earlier.
"I knocked on the door and met Earl Albert. I asked if he would someday consider donating the Tree to Rockefeller Center. His answer was immediately yes," Pauze was quoted in Rockefeller Center's newsletter .
Earl Albert took it as a sign from Leslie, according to the family.
"This is definitely her handiwork," Leslie's daughter-in-law Shawn Albert told TODAY .
Earl Albert said donating their tree to Rockefeller Center was "probably one of the greatest honors" of his life. He said Leslie would be "thrilled."
The family couldn't have a funeral for Leslie because of the pandemic, so when the tree was cut down, the Alberts had a celebration and even carolers.
"To me, this is like her gathering that we finally get to have and we finally get to honor her," Shawn Albert said.
The 74-foot green giant is now at the Rockefeller Center and stay up until January. The tree will feature 50,000 multi-colored lights and a Swarovski star crown.
"Honestly, it's a tribute to my mom," the couple's son, Michael Albert, told TODAY . "Let it go to New York City and let the world see it."
Anyone interested in mailing a Christmas card to Earl Albert can address it to:
