On December 4, 2024, The 92nd Christmas Lighting at the Rockefeller Center occurred in New York City. Singer Kelly Clarkson hosted the event. She did the opening act with her latest single, You For Christmas.
The performances at last night’s New York Christmas event were incredible. I discovered new artists. The first example is Mexican singer Thalia. She sang two songs in Spanish and was fantastic, with an upbeat energy. Other talents I discovered were Coco Jones and Megan Hilty.
Also, I rediscovered an incredible UK artist, Raye. She sang beautifully in her performances. She did an impressive rendition of White Christmas.
My favourite moments were when the Backstreet Boys performed three times throughout the special. In chronological order, they sang The Christmas Song, Christmas in New York and Last Christmas, at various moments in the program. The last one I mentioned happened after Kelly Clarkson briefly interviewed Wham’s former member, Andrew Ridgeley, discussing the EP and the 40th anniversary of the 80s Christmas classic. He was even dancing to the Backstreet Boys’ rendition of Last Christmas.
Jennifer Hudson was another artist whose performances I enjoyed and were fantastic. She performed Winter Wonderland and one of her original Christmas songs, Make It to Christmas.
Country group Little Big Town has a couple of beautiful performances of two Christmas songs, including Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.
The country duo Dan+Shay also sang two songs, including their rendition of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. They gave dynamic performances.
A legendary moment of the show—it wouldn’t be the same without it—is a performance by the Radio City Rockettes. They danced to a medley of Christmas Classics.
The show ended with a fantastic performance by the hostess, Kelly Clarkson, who performed her 2013 single Underneath The Tree.
This yearly event is my favourite Christmas program to watch. I love the city of New York. I went there five years ago to celebrate my 30th birthday before the tree lighting, but it was still a memorable experience to be in NYC during the holiday season.
Merry Christmas! Happy holidays!
Flora Youssef
