tree burst alive to shine on downtown Atlanta. Before rock and roll became the predominant form of popular music in the 1970s, the Christmas carols were sung in a traditional, even classical manner, but in more modern times, nearly all of them have tended to be performed in a gospel music style, including "O Holy Night". In earlier years, for example, "O Holy Night" was performed by an operatic soprano, while in 2006, it was performed by LeAnn Rimes. The 2009 concert included country music singer Josh Turner and gospel singer Mandisa (who sang the keynote), and dance crew SoReal Cru using remixed versions of classic Christmas songs from Merry Mixmas and other albums. Beginning in 2015 the lighting of Macy's Great Tree, that year the "68th edition of the Great Tree", was changed from Thanksgiving night to the Sunday before Thanksgiving, at 7:00PM This returned the ceremony to its traditional time, well after sunset at the western edge of the Eastern time zone. When asked specifically about the reason for the move from Thursday to Sunday, a Macy's spokesperson claimed "It's what our customers want." However, the apparent reason behind the move is so that Macy's could start their Black Friday sale even earlier on Thanksgiving. From 2015 through 2019, the ceremony was held on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. In 2020, it was again moved, to the Thursday a week before Thanksgiving. The 2020 ceremony was restricted to a small invitation-only private event, due to COVID. The 2021 ceremony was also private, by invitation only. The 75th ceremony will take place Thursday, November 17, 2022. Other history Transition from Rich's to Macy's After an announcement was made in 2004, Rich's stores became Rich's-Macy's in early 2005, and for Christmas that year and the next, the Rich's Great Tree became the "Great Tree at Macy's". In 2007, the still-new name was dropped in favor of "Macy's Great Tree", after all Rich's stores became Macy's, eliminating the retailer after 140 years. The only visible reminders of Rich's are the Great Tree, and the façade of the original (1924) part of the Rich's building, now attached to the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Building via another four-story bridge where the Crystal Bridge was. () Trees that snapped In 2004, the tree from Snellville snapped about two-thirds of the way up while workers were attempting to use a crane to lift it from the