The world-famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is decorated with more than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights strung across five miles of wire. A 900-pound star tops the tree, but there are no ornaments hanging from its branches. Last year, though, there was one. It was a crystal angel, featuring a picture of Christian Gray's '23 mom.
On Wednesday, December 3, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will become the most famous Christmas tree in the world when it's lit up on national television. But the tree's journey from obscurity to tourist attraction began yesterday, on a property in Rensselaer County, under Gray's supervision.
When Gray was a freshman at Siena, his dad, a New York State trooper at the time, started Gray Enterprises and Logistics. The company manages the transportation route for uncommonly large objects that need transport. It could be an electric transformer, a modular home... or a 75-foot-tall Christmas tree. The company maps out the route, wary of low bridges and tight turns, and supervises the move from point A to point B. A few years ago, Gray Enterprises and Logistics was tasked with getting a giant Norway spruce into Manhattan. They've held the contract ever since.
In 2023, Gray graduated with his degree in economics, and by then, his dad's business had taken off. Wallace Gray is now a retired trooper and focused on the business, but he still needs help managing the movement of jumbo-sized items through the biggest city in the world. He convinced his son to join the company.
"It's been a good time working with my dad. Often, I'll be in the trailing car, behind the over-sized load, and my dad will be in the lead car. We'll talk on the phone for an entire three-hour trip. It's really nice to get that time."
Gray's mom, Angelina, was also involved in the family business, and her favorite job by far was the transportation of the Rockefeller tree (below, left). Two years ago, she made sure to see one final tree.
"My mom was diagnosed with cancer in September of 2023 and it advanced quickly. The tree that year was coming from Binghamton. My dad and I went to get it, and my mom really wanted to see it come into Manhattan. She met us on the way down and got to see it go in. She died two days later on my parents' 29th anniversary."
It would have been impossible to see among the 50,000 lights, but if you knew where to look last year, there was a tribute to Angelina. It was the only ornament on the tree (below, right).
Each year, anyone can nominate a tree on their property for consideration, and the perfect Norway spruce, from anywhere in the Northeast, is chosen. This year, the tree was cut down yesterday in East Greenbush, and of course, Gray was there (above).
"My dad's in Florida right now, but I'll always make sure one of us is with the tree. It holds an emotional significance for us. I'm always going to take care of the tree for my mom."
It took about five hours for the tree to be cut down and loaded onto the trailer (bottom). After that, the truck driver will follow the route mapped out by Gray. If there are snags along the way, Gray will manage them, and he builds time into the schedule for pictures. The tree stayed in a lot in Suffern last night, and with a police escort, made its way to Rockefeller Center today. Next month, an estimated 125 million people will visit the tree. For most people, it's a majestic, opulent display of the Christmas season. For Gray, it's his favorite reminder of his mom.