GREENWICH VILLAGE — Yuletide carols will ring out around Washington Square Park this week for the annual lighting of the park's Christmas tree.
The Washington Square Association, which paid for the 45-foot-tall Christmas tree located beneath the park's famous arch, will host a tree-lighting ceremony on Wednesday at 6 p.m., group secretary Richard Stewart said.
"We are one of the oldest neighborhood associations in America, and we have been doing this for many decades," Stewart said.
Santa Claus is scheduled to make an appearance at the ceremony, which will also include carolers singing Christmas songs, Stewart said.
Rockefeller Center's 10-ton tree may be one of the city's most popular tourist destinations, but Washington Square Park lays claim to an even longer tannenbaum tradition.
A Christmas tree was first set up under Washington Square Park's iconic arch in 1924 — seven years before construction workers first propped up a tree at Rockefeller Center.
This year's tree was grown in Canada, just over the Vermont border, Stewart said.
Village resident Miles MacColla, 34, said he plans to take his two young children to the ceremony.
"Every year we see [the tree], and it's nice every year," he said.
Helen Luchars, 67, said she has seen the tree each year since she moved to the city in 1979. She said she particularly appreciates the tradition, since she doesn't have a full-size tree in her apartment.
"I grew up with Christmas trees and ornaments," she said, "so it's nice to have this here."
The tree-lighting event will take place Weds., Dec. 7, 2011, at 6 p.m. at Washington Square Park.
