Forget upstate, year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree came from the Glamazon Forest.
The towering tannenbaum — which was mocked for looking like a haggard Charlie Brown reject when it showed up in the Big Apple last month — had a makeover that included the addition of extra branches from another tree so it would appear more full and fluffy, according to the upstate woman who sold it.
“They take branches from other trees and hook them in, like a fake Christmas tree,” Paula Dick, owner of Daddy Al’s General Store in Oneonta, told The Post. “To watch the crew work was amazing — holy crap.”
She said Rockefeller Center’s head gardener, Erik Pauze, waited a few days for the 75-foot-tall Norway Spruce, which was wrapped up during transportation, to perk back up before instructing a crew where to fill in branch gaps with the green extensions.
“They watered it and waited for it to come back to its normal form, then they filled in the areas that needed to be filled in,” Dick said. “They drill little holes [in the stem ] because it has to sustain strong winds in New York City.”
She said the fir-centric fakery happens every year — and that, despite its slumped-over first impression, this year’s tree was no less jolly than any other.
“They do it every year for every tree — it’s standard practice,” she said. “It works the same way if you buy a Christmas tree from Home Depot that has been wrapped up; it just takes some time for its branches to get back to their normal shape.”
To keep the tree from looking less-than-fresh — with green and shiny needles — it’s important to water it frequently, she said. While its on display, the glammed-up evergreen will guzzle more than 90 gallons of water over the next several weeks, she said.
The holiday tree looked stunning for the annual lighting Wednesday night, Dick said. “This year, workers did a beautiful job,” she said.
Two weeks ago, workers discovered an adorable owl tucked inside the tree after the bird inadvertently traveled hundreds of miles from upstate to New York City. The speckled Saw-whet was released back into its natural habitat on Nov. 24.
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