The Merriest Hotel Trees in New York City, Dressed Up For Holidays 2010

Note: Apparently, not everything lives forever on the internet. Nearly all the photos disappeared from this item, save one. Weird. But not the copy, so here it is.

The tree at Rockefeller Center isn’t the only show in town that rocks this month.  Here’s a look at some of our favorite holiday trees at Midtown hotels.The tree in the lobby of the Four Seasons is so tall it rivals the tree in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.

Though planted in the mezzanine, The Peninsula’s main tree is so big and bright it’s the first thing you see when you step into the lobby.

We love the way the stylish tree in The Pierre Hotel’s Two E Bar/Lounge kisses the freshly painted ceiling.

The colorful cookies hanging from the branches of Le Parker Meridien‘s tree look so yummy a large sign warns viewers they’re inedible.

Step into the front lobby of The Plaza, push your way past the crowds, and meet the most photographed hotel tree in town.

And Eloise, The Plaza imp, rates her own tree this year.

Long before twitter, a gigantic cage of tweeting birds was the lobby centerpiece at The Intercontinental New York Barclay. The cage — and birds — are long gone, but the Barclay’s majestic tree celebrates with ornaments shaped like cages and birds.

Some hotel trees win points simply for being pretty. Case in point, The Benjamin tree.

To all those boutique hotels too cool to put up holiday decorations, we say check out the W New York. In addition to this contemporary take on the tree, the lobby boasts red and green flowers and stylized stars, and looks terrific.

We didn’t bother counting the decorated trees that transformed The Palace Hotel into a holiday forest, but our favorite? No contest. The towering fir on the terrace in front of the hotel is, quite simply, gorgeous.

The Roosevelt Hotel tree boasts the ultimate topper. Who needs a star when you can have a chandelier?