Christmas is my favorite time of the year and this year is no exception.
Each year, my husband, Rick, goes hunting for a week and that has always been my time to decorate the house. He used to go right after Thanksgiving, but this year he went hunting at the end of October, and so, even though it was super early, that was the week that Christmas came to the Ryall house this year.
I have to say though, this year it didn’t seem too early. With everyone spending so much time cooped up at home, having the house twinkling with lights and decorations, listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies weeks before Thanksgiving just seemed like the perfect thing to do. And I might even leave those decorations up past New Year’s this year too!
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reads my articles, to those of you who have become my clients and friends over the past years, and to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Market Update
“When you pair the number of listings currently active (7,824 in greater Phoenix) with the number of listings under contract (12,586 in greater Phoenix), it becomes readily apparent that our current market trends will not be changing anytime soon. Homes are selling quickly and sellers are getting their asking price, in many cases more than they are asking.
The momentum of our current market will propel our current trends into 2021. While current market conditions cannot continue indefinitely, there are no foreseeable changes in sight. In other words, the beat goes on.”
– Tom Ruff ARMLS
| Mesa Statistics – October 2020 | |||
| YEAR | Active Listings | Under Contract | Median Sales Price |
| 2017 | 1248 | 895 | $220,000 |
| 2018 | 1320 | 826 | $249,450 |
| 2019 | 889 | 830 | $277,700 |
| 2020 | 665 | 1157 | $320,000 |
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has served as a beacon of hope and prosperity for millions each holiday season since its humble beginnings amid the Great Depression.
In December 1931, the United States and the majority of the world were feeling the effects of the Great Depression. While trying to survive and provide in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash — when every penny counted — a group of construction workers in New York City pooled their money together to make a purchase.
It wasn’t food. It wasn’t clothes. It wasn’t fuel. Instead, they bought a Christmas tree to stand on the site of Rockefeller Center, which was just starting to be constructed in Midtown Manhattan. The 20-foot-high (6 meters) balsam fir, adorned with homemade garlands from the workers’ families, served as a symbol of hope and optimism during the dire financial and economic times.
Since then, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been a yearly tradition. The tree was “from the beginning… a gathering place and reflection of what was happening in the world around it.”
World War II ushered in simple, patriotic decorations including red, white and blue unlit globes and painted wooden stars. In 1942, instead of one large tree, three more modest trees were raised, each decorated in one of the flag’s colors. From 1944 until the war’s end in 1945, the tree went unlit due to blackout regulations.
After the war, the year of darkness was left behind, as six ultraviolet light projectors were employed to make it appear as though the tree’s 700 fluorescent globes were glowing in the dark. By the 1950s, workers began using scaffolding to decorate the tree, as larger trees were accommodated. Before the decade was over, the decorating process called for 20 workers and nine days.
1951 marked the first time that NBC televised the tree lighting with a special on The Kate Smith Show. In 1969, artist Valerie Clarebout’s towering wire herald angels were added to the Channel Gardens in front of the tree near Fifth Avenue. Valerie created the 12 sculptures using 75 points of metal wire each.
The 1971 tree, a 65-footer from East Montpelier, Vt., was the first to be mulched and recycled. It was turned into 30 three-bushel bags of mulch for the nature trails of Upper Manhattan.
Though the tree typically makes its journey on a truck bed, in 1998 it was flown in from Richfield, Ohio, on the world’s largest transport plane. 1999 saw Rockefeller Center’s tallest tree, a 100-foot (30 m) spruce from Killingworth, Conn.
In 2001, following the Sept. 11 attacks, the tree was again decorated in hues of red, white and blue. In 2007, the tree went green, converting to energy-efficient lighting with LEDs. The LEDs use 1,200 fewer kilowatts of electricity per day, enough to power a 2000-square-foot home for a month. Also since 2007, each year after display, the tree has been milled into lumber and donated to Habitat for Humanity for use in house construction.
Lorraine is a Multi-Million Dollar producing agent, has been a full-time Realtor for over 12 years, is an Associate Broker of KOR Properties, a Certified Negotiation Specialist, and is on the Professional Standards Board. You can reach Lorraine at (602) 571-6799.