- Bethlehem's 2023 Christmas tree is 45 feet high and 24 feet wide
- By next week, it will blaze with up to 25,000 lights
- A second tree, almost as big, will be found at the north end of the Hill-to-Hill Bridge on the west side of Second Avenue after Nov. 9
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The centerpiece of Bethlehem's 2023 Christmas season arrived Wednesday in Payrow Plaza between city hall and the library.
Bearing soft needles, the as-yet unidentified pine was donated by a resident of Crestwood Drive in Bethlehem's Kaywin neighborhood, said Bill Brinks, an electrician supervisor for the city.
Lifted from the property by locally based Dickinson Cranes, which also donated its services, the tree was loaded on a flatbed and toted to the season's center stage.
The donor's identity will be revealed at the tree lighting ceremony on Nov. 24, Black Friday, according to Greg Cryder, Bethlehem's electrical bureau chief.
Though the type of tree is not known exactly, Cryder said, the city forester may try to identify it going forward.
"What we do know is it's soft, which makes it easier to decorate," Cryder said. "The lights will drape better. Some trees are super prickly."
Brinks said, "It's 45 feet high and 25 feet wide," which makes for a lot of area to decorate.
All of next week will be dedicated to decorating the tree, which, though it will hold no ornaments, will shine with up to 25,000 lights, Brinks said. The lights are tested and repaired, if needed, on their way up, he said.
On their way down, Cryder said, the light strings are folded in a very specific pattern so they're ready to go next year, to make it easier.
"We start in the first week in October. We have a whole city to decorate."Greg Cryder, electrical bureau chief, City of Bethlehem
"We start in the first week in October," he said. "We have a whole city to decorate."
Additional decorations include a tree almost as big as the one in Payrow Plaza that will be located at the north end of the Hill-to-Hill Bridge on the west side of Second Avenue.
It arrives Thursday, Nov. 9.
