Christmas In Rockefeller Center Tonight On NBC

NEW YORK  — Jon Bon Jovi will join NBC’s annual “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” with a performance of his new song “Unbroken.” The song, which is featured in the Netflix documentary “To Be of Service,” is a compelling anthem that shines a spotlight on the thousands of veterans living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Over the next 12 months, proceeds from the downloads of “Unbroken” will be donated to the Patriotic Service Dog Foundation.

“This song is meant to honor America’s veterans and their service, but I also wanted to take an unflinching look at the reality of their daily lives and struggles,” said Bon Jovi.

Prior to the primetime telecast, an additional live hour of the special will be broadcast on KSL TV at 7 p.m.

The tradition of the Rockefeller Christmas tree dates back 1931 during the Great Depression. The first official tree-lighting ceremony occurred two years later in 1933, in front of the then eight-month-old RCA Building (the current Comcast Building). The Christmas tree gathering was enhanced in 1936 with the opening of the Rockefeller Plaza outdoor ice-skating pond. NBC-TV televised the tree lighting for the first time in 1951 on “The Kate Smith Show” and as part of the nationwide “Howdy Doody” television show from 1953-55.

The 87th annual holiday special will celebrate the lighting of a 77-foot tall, 46-foot wide Norway Spruce from Village of Florida in Orange County, N.Y. The tree weighs approximately 12 tons and is approximately 70-75 years old. It will be adorned with more than 50,000 multi-colored LEDs and will be topped with a stunning Swarovski star.

After the tree leaves Rockefeller Center, it will be milled into lumber for donation to Habitat for Humanity and used to build homes in the region.