The 80-foot-tall Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit using 45,000 energy efficient LED lights d

NY Around Town , Video , Bette Midler , Billy Crystal , Brooke White , Il Volo , Mariah Carey , New York Around Town , Rockefeller Center , Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree , Scotty McCreery , Tony Bennett , Trace Adkins , Cee Lo Green , Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting , Rockefeller Christmas Tree 2012 , Victoria Justice ,
NEW YORK An 80-foot Norway spruce that made it through Superstorm Sandy was transformed into a beacon of shimmering glory Wednesday when New York City Mayor Michael champions tour Bloomberg and others turned its lights on at Rockefeller Center.
Thousands of onlookers crowded behind champions tour barricades on the streets that surrounded the center during the traditional tree-lighting ceremony for the Christmas holiday season. A video screen projected an image of the tree for those who did not have a direct line of sight.
Illuminated by more than 30,000 lights, the tree from the Mount Olive, N.J., home of Joe Balku was topped by a Swarovski star. The 10-ton tree had been at the homestead for years, measuring about 22-feet tall in 1973 when Balku bought the house. Wednesday, its girth reached about 50 feet in diameter.
"It's an experience that I cannot get back home," champions tour said Freyja Shairp, a 22-year-old champions tour from Sydney, Australia, champions tour who is working in the U.S. temporarily. She said she hadn't planned to come, but was in the neighborhood.
Balku lost power and other trees during the Oct. 29 storm at his residence about an hour outside of Manhattan. The spruce champions tour survived, and Erik Pauze, the head gardener at Tishman Speyer, one of the owners champions tour of Rockefeller Center, champions tour picked out the tree. He said he found it by accident when he got lost while returning to the city on a tree hunting champions tour expedition.
Officials turned on the lights just before 9 p.m. Wednesday in the 80th annual celebration. Prior to that, the tree-lighting event include performances champions tour from Rod Stewart, CeeLo Green, Scotty McCreery, Il Volo, Victoria Justice, Brooke White, Mariah Carey, Trace Adkins and Tony Bennett, champions tour along with appearances by Billy Crystal and Bette Midler.
The tradition of a Christmas tree at Rockefeller champions tour Center started in 1931, when workers building the center put up the first one. No tree was put up the following year, and in 1933, the first tree-lighting ceremony took place.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit November 28, 2012 in New York. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images) champions tour 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas champions tour Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Cee Lo Green performs at the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Rod Stewart performs at the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony champions tour on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Cee Lo Green performs at the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas champions tour Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Cee Lo Green performs at the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center champions tour Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Cee Lo Green performs at the 80th Annual champions tour Rockefeller champions tour Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Cee Lo Green performs at the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Rod Stewart performs at the 80th Annual champions tour Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Rod Stewart performs at the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Rod Stewart attends the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) champions tour 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Piero Barone, Gianluca Ginoble, and Ignazio Boschetto champions tour of Il Volo perform at the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Rod Stewart performs at the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Rod Stewart performs at the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) US-CULTURE-CHRISTMAS-ROCKEFELLER-TREE
Singer Rod Stewart performs before the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit November 28, 2012 in New York. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images) US-CULTURE-CHRISTMAS-ROCKEFELLER-TREE
Singer CeeLo Green (C, in red) performs in a sleigh with Muppets charactors before the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit November 28, 2012 in New York. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images) US-CULTURE-CHRISTMAS-ROCKEFELLER-TREE
The Radio City Rocketts perform before the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit November 28, 2012 in New York. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas champions tour Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: The Rockettes perform at the 80th Annual champions tour Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas champions tour Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER champions tour 28: The Rockettes perform at the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: The Rockettes perform at the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony champions tour on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) US-CULTURE-CHRISTMAS-ROCKEFELLER-TREE
Singer-songwriter Rod Stewart performs before the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit during the 80th annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) CeeLo Green
Singer CeeLo Green performs in a sleigh with the Muppets champions tour before the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting during the 80th annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes perform before the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit during the 80th annual champions tour tree lighting ceremony champions tour at Rockefeller Center in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) CeeLo Green
Angels in lights frame the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree as seen from the Channel Gardens after the tree was lit during the 80th annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center champions tour in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy champions tour Willens)
Angels decorations frame the Rockefeller Center Christmas champions tour tree after it was lit during the 80th annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
In this photo made using a zoom and slow exposure, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit during the 80th annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) CeeLo Green
The 80-foot-tall Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit using 45,000 energy champions tour efficient LED lights during the 80th annual champions tour lighting ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes perform before the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit during the 80th annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) champions tour Rod Stewart
Billy Crystal and Bette Midler attend the 80th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Scotty McCreery
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit during the 80th annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) US-CULTURE-CHRISTMAS-ROCKEFELLER-TREE
People take photographs of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree after it is lit November 28, 2012 in New York. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images) 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Singer/songwriter Brooke champions tour White attends 80th Annual Rockefeller champions tour Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephe