It's that time of year again when millions of people flood the streets of NYC to enjoy the holiday festivities. One of the nation's most watched events of the holiday season is New York's tree lighting at Rockefeller Center. Going back to the Depression era in 1931, construction workers working at Rockefeller Center decorated a small tree with a few tin cans. It was a humble start to what has grown to become a worldwide symbol of love, hope and giving.

With over 125 million people visiting Rockefeller Center throughout December, that area is guarded like Fort Knox by the NYPD. Much of the area is shut down around the lighting of the tree. These actions by NYPD reflect the worn-out “9-11 mindset.” I'm sure that frees up state and federal monies also – not to mention any special fund the city can dip into. But the lighting of the NYC Christmas tree has a real dark side that most don't see or know about.

In 2016 I got on the Press List after having to go through the gauntlet of a very unorganized, self-entitled, and spoiled press team from Rubenstein Public Relations Company. The staff there was by far the most arrogant and rude Public Relations Company in NYC that we have ever come into contact with.

I tried to walk through the area on the day of the tree-lighting ceremony to receive my Press Credentials. But with all the surrounding streets shut down to pedestrians and car traffic, how is a person supposed to be able to cross Police lines to get to the tree lighting if your Press credentials  are not given out until the time of the lighting at Rockefeller Center  .

Naturally if you have a Police Press pass bestowed on to you by the powers-to-be, the streets part like the Red Sea and then you're free to walk  the streets blocked off by the NYPD. However, more than a hundred thousand people are kept blocks away from the tree lighting festivities and are forced to watch the ceremony on big screen TVs set up at the corners.

Being from New Jersey and not wanting to put up with crap, I finally managed to fight my way through the Police checkpoint after about an hour of yelling. A police officer had to escort me to assure I was legitimate.

After all that hassle, I made my way to the tree lighting and was corralled into a small 10' x 10' barricaded area near the tree to stand with about five other Press members. Then there was the sound of crickets! That's right – crickets. No one there …

The NY news stations came onto the scene about 10 minutes before the lighting of the tree and left moments afterwards. I found out later the so-called “Live from Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting” was actually taped, and we saw almost nothing.

The whole thing was as fake as Hollywodd and the crowds are kept so far back you can't even hear the roars from the people watching the giant TV monitors. The question remains -- how is it that an event that is watched world-wide and the entire country pays for is in reality a fake event controlled by a very small group of people with Bill de Blasio and NYPD at the wheel.

The entire process keeps the public at arms-length and collects millions of dollars on the backs of the taxpayers. The shutout  and fakeness  is performed by Rubenstein Public Relations, which shuts down the press. That group is led by Brady Littlefield, the Vice President of RUBENSTEIN Public Relations Co Inc .

I say to Mr. Brady Littlefield and his slippery, slimy team of phonies – with all your “higher education,” you never learned what public relations is all about. It has the word “public” right in it, but you clearly don't care one iota about the people of America or New York City. Shame on Rockefeller Center and shame on Rubenstein and Company.