Spectators reportedly saw workers on Thursday afternoon who seemingly adding some extra filler branches at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
According to an onlooker, a crew member working on site said that adding extensions to the tree was “normal” to do.
“This happens every year we’ve done this. In my 19 years, this is what we do,” said one Rockefeller Center employee in a TikTok video.
“We gotta make a pretty tree and all the parts to make a pretty tree, we’ve gotta add extensions. Simple as that”
The said branches were also seen to be wrapped with thick rope, but the purpose of it is still unclear.
Workers have been setting the tree at the famed plaza ahead of December 2, in which a lighting ceremony was scheduled, that includes musical guests and famous faces kicking off the holiday season.
When asked for a comment, the representative for Rockefeller Center kept mum.
Prior to this, the the 75-foot-tall Norway Spruce had been the center of criticism since its arrival in midtown Manhattan.
Instagram user Liz Eswein called it “an accurate representation of 2020”, while another wrote, “’I expected nothing in 2020 to be good nice, or pretty and this tree confirms my dire expectations.”
“This tree looks like it was dragged behind a truck by a chain, then through a fire and extinguished with sewer water,” another user added.
The Rockefeller Center had since clapped back to the thousands of criticism, and wrote in a tweet, “Wow, you all must look great right after a two-day drive, huh? Just wait until I get my lights on! See you on December 2!”
The tree also made news this week when one of the workers found and rescued a tiny owl from one of the limbs.
The owl had since been rescued and taken to Ravensbeared Wildlife Center, with the intention of releasing it back to the wild.