‘Today’s’ Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb celebrate ‘Christmas in Rockefeller Center’
Since Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb can call a certain area of New York their home away from home, thanks to work, they’ll be home for the holidays with this year’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center.”
Coming off coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the NBC duo will stay festive as they’re joined by their weekday “Today” colleagues Al Roker and Craig Melvin for the traditional lighting of midtown Manhattan’s enormous Christmas tree – a 72-foot-tall Norway Spruce from Wallkill, N.Y. – on Wednesday, Nov. 28. John Legend, Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Kellie Pickler, Brett Eldredge, Pentantonix and others also will participate, leading up to the moment when thousands of LED lights are turned on.
“It’s one of the most special days in Rockefeller Plaza,” Kotb confirms. “Tourists come from all over the world, sometimes just for that moment, and it’s one of the most beautiful things that gets you into the Christmas spirit. With all of us together bundled up outside, there’s something about that crowd energy that’s infectious. People come out and stay all day.”
“It makes for a long day,” allows Guthrie, “but you just get ‘up’ for it. The crowd is so happy and the music is so good, and we love to be there and snuggle up with a few thousand of our closest friends. I also imagine how fun it would be to be at home, baking some holiday cookies and listening to that music. But our trees at home would not be that impressive!”
Last year’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” happened under unusual circumstances: It was the night of the day NBC News fired “Today’s” Matt Lauer, who was scheduled to work the event, over allegations of inappropriate behavior.
“It’s obviously no secret that was a hard time for our show and everyone on it,” Guthrie says. “The whole ‘Today’ team is so close, not just the people you see on the air but behind the scenes, and Hoda was just the most wonderful gift. I’ve known her for years, but I definitely think that in the last year, we’ve gotten closer.”