The Museum’s Origami Holiday Tree is back to ring in the season! This year, the tree features 500 folded origami models of groups of animals, from a “culture” of bacteria to a “tower” of giraffes. 

On the morning of Monday, November 21, the Origami Holiday Tree was lit in the first-floor Grand Gallery by the 77th Street exit. The display pays tribute to some of the Museum’s “biggest and best” displays, with ornaments that include a blue whale, highlights from The World’s Largest Dinosaurs, and a space shuttle as a nod to the Museum’s latest special exhibition, Beyond Planet Earth: The Future of Space Exploration. Celebrating sheer size and scope, these origami models represent some of the largest natural and cultural exhibits on display throughout the Museum. Watch the video or flip through the slideshow below to preview a few of the ornaments. The tree is on view now until Monday, January 2.