Savannah Guthrie knew from the start that the 2020 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree had potential — and now, she’s helping show off just how beautiful it’s become after receiving a little makeover.
The Today anchor was on-site Wednesday night — alongside her costars Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Craig Melvin — for the official tree lighting ceremony, which was broadcast live on NBC. Shortly after, she took to Instagram to share before-and-after shots of the now-infamous evergreen along with a hilarious caption.
“See? Girlfriend just needed better lighting and a few extensions,” the mom of two, 48, joked, sharing a photo of the previously scruffy-looking tree alongside a photo of it looking full and vibrant after the ceremony. She added the hashtag, “#treemakeover."
“Don’t we all 😂👏,” Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran wrote in the comments, while author Elizabeth Holmes added, “WHO AMONG US DOESN'T.”
“#AMBUSHMAKEOVER,” commented Today’s Jill Martin, while Clea Shearer of The Home Edit added a simple yet poignant, “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.”
After making a two-day drive from Oneonta, New York, the world-famous holiday symbol was dragged by online commenters who noted its branches looked less than lush in photos of it being erected in Midtown Manhattan. Many noted it was representative of the year as a whole. "Ya'll really got a tree that defines 2020," one social media user wrote.
On November 19, less than a week after the tree arrived in the Big Apple, PEOPLE reported that passersby had noticed that the spruce appeared to be getting some extra filler branches added to it. An onlooker at the scene told PEOPLE that a crew member working on adding the coniferous extensions to the tree said that it was "normal" to do so.
A few days later, Guthrie and Kotb came to its defense, with Guthrie telling PEOPLE, “I think our tree is beautiful. Hoda and I both know what it's like to have a bad hair day and have everyone see it."
"I think Savannah's right,” Kotb added with a laugh. “If you looked at that tree, that is pre-hair extensions. We've got to give it a break. They have to put some more in, fluff it, do what we all have to do in the morning. And once it's revealed, you'll see the extensions are going to be perfect. You won't even notice that they're fake."
This year's tree was donated from Daddy Al's General Store in Oneonta, about 170 miles northwest of the city. Paula Dick, who owns the general store, told CNN affiliate WCBS that she hopes the tree can be a bright spot amid the tumultuous year.
"A lot of people need a lot of hope this year because of COVID-19, and we were more than honored to donate it. And hopefully, we bring some joy into some people's lives this season," she said. "I didn't realize that a tree that was in my yard just not too long ago would bring joy to so many people."
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