Shoppers lament loss of Macy’s Lenox Square tree lighting

ATLANTA — It is a holiday tradition that dates back to 1948, but now the lighting of Macy’s Great Tree is no more.

For the past 74 years, families across metro Atlanta gathered for the lighting of the Great Tree each year to ring in the holiday season.

Now, Channel 2 Action News has learned that Macy’s has retired the tree lighting.

Shoppers in Buckhead lamented the loss of this longtime holiday tradition.

“It was so huge, that’s the thing about it for me,” said Louella Pickett-New, who’s lived in Atlanta for 45 years. “It was so huge and had such beautiful lighting and decorations until you can’t help but be in the mood for Christmas.”

It’s unclear exactly what prompted the decision to end the tree’s lighting.

“Each year, we evaluate our event programming and how we can best serve the metro Atlanta community. Recently we made the decision to retire our Great Tree Lighting at our Macy’s Lenox Square store. As Atlanta’s holiday shopping destination, Macy’s Lenox Square will continue to welcome customers in store to give love and give style this holiday season,” Macy’s said in a statement.

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For many of the years that the tree lighting happened, Channel 2 Action News aired the lighting live.

The lighting of the Great Tree started in 1948 when Rich’s department store put a large pine tree on top of its flagship store in downtown Atlanta, lighting it on Thanksgiving night.

Sally Pope remembers seeing the tree at Rich’s as a child.

“It was just a wonderful, magnificent tree that they used to light around Thanksgiving,” she said.

The tree lighting remained there until Rich’s store closed in 1991 and the tree was moved to Underground Atlanta.

In 2000, the Great Tree was moved to Lenox Square where it has remained a holiday tradition for new and old until 2022.

Mark and Scarlett Carlton have six grown daughters who they used to take to the tree lighting.

“It was always a big event,” Mark Carlton said. “We tried to come up whenever we could get here. We’re sorry to see these traditions going away.”

Mackinlee Slate remembers shopping at Macy’s and admiring the tree.

“That makes me sad that we’re not going to be able to drive by Lenox and see the Christmas tree,” Slate said.

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