Drummer of Gym Class Heroes Donated This Year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

It’s “the most wonderful time of the year,” and New Yorkers can thank a member of Gym Class Heroes for getting the city into the holiday spirit.

This year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was donated by none other than alternative hip-hop drummer Matt McGinley, reports The Finger Lake Times. The 80-foot-tall tree was revealed Monday to have come from the rocker’s estate, weeks after Rockefeller Center shared the first glimpse of the pine spruce on Nov. 1.

A few weeks ago when the McGinley family’s tree was cut down and shipped from their backyard in Vestal, New York to the Big Apple, the drummer/composer, 40, shared a video of the process on Instagram. The clip, which is accompanied aurally by rock band The Darkness’ heavy holiday song “Christmas Time,” features sweet shots of his family smiling and safely in as they watch a tall spruce slowly fall.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 2023.

Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty

Rockefeller Center’s 2023 Christmas Tree Has Been Selected — See Photos!

The musician’s wife, Professor Jackie McGinley, told how surprised she was that the tree from their lawn outside Binghamton, New York, became part of the legendary annual tradition in Rockefeller Center Plaza.

“Whole process [of selection] is incredibly secretive,” she said The Finger Lake Times. “That’s why we didn’t know that our tree was chosen. We thought he might be on the short list.”

But it caught the eye of Rockefeller Center head gardener Erik Pauze. He explained the breaks beforehand Center magazine to spend a year searching for the perfect evergreen, and the McGinleys caught his eye when he drove up while scouting other trees in their area.

He told the statement: “I found the tree in Vestal, New York, when I went to look at another tree, not far away. I drove to another tree and took the slow way back, and saw this.”

“I came back this spring and decided to knock,” he continued. “The McGinley family told me that shortly before I knocked on the door, someone said, ‘This looks like the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.'”

The McGinley family tree before it moved to Rockefeller Center.

Rockefeller Center/ Twitter

A photographic history of the Rockefeller Christmas tree

McGinley’s tree was donated after the band “Stereo Hearts” had a big year. Not only did the rap-rock group perform at the nostalgic pop-punk festival When We Were Young in Las Vegas in the fall, but they embarked on a massive reunion tour in support of All Time Low throughout the spring and summer.

When Rockefeller Center shared a first look at its selection for the 2023 holiday season on social media in early November, they revealed the tree to be a spruce, 80 feet tall and weighing about 12 tons. It arrived in the midtown Manhattan square on November 11th and was officially lit to usher in Christmas in the city on November 29th.

According to Rockefeller Center, the tree is decorated with 50,000 multi-colored lights strung over nearly 5 miles of wire, topped by a 900-pound star with 70 points covered in 3 million Swarovski crystals.

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Several stars rocked around the Christmas tree at NBC’s 91st Annual Lighting Ceremony, which took place Nov. 29 and is now streaming on Peacock after the network broadcast.

This year’s holiday tradition was led by Kelly Clarkson, and they performed TODAY hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin and Al Roker.

Clarkson did double duty also performing, along with several other artists including Chloe Bailey, Adam Blackstone, Cher, David Foster, Liz Gillies, Darlene Love, Seth MacFarlane, Barry Manilow, Katharine McPhee, Keke Palmer, Carly Pearce, Manuel Turizo and more .

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Source: HIS Education