Mary J. Blige Sings At Rockefeller Tree Lighting

The evening was filled with top-notch renditions of Christmas songs from high-profile artists including Michael Buble, Carly Rae Jepsen, Sting, and Pentatonix — but Mary J. Blige's performance of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" at Rockefeller Center was the highlight of the festivities. Blige was the perfect artist to close out the musical portion of the show, and she sang on a stage that was elegantly decorated with angels, flowers, and bedazzled Christmas trees. But the stylish set was nothing compared to the beauty of Blige's singing. Her voice was strong, clear, and she hit every single note perfectly. Blige successfully kept the classic elements of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" while giving it a modern, trendy spin.

Blige was the last performer before the highly-anticipated lighting of Rockefeller Center's iconic tree — and her performance made me even more excited to see her play the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wiz. But, while I wait, I'll definitely be downloading her 2013 album, A Mary Christmas. It includes classic songs such as "My Favorite Things," "Little Drummer Boy," and "Do You Hear What I Hear" — and, if her performance at Rockefeller was any indication, this album needs to become part of my holiday playlist STAT.

Based on social media reactions, many viewers felt Blige's performance was indeed the highlight of the show:

Blige's singing was the perfect conclusion to the musical portion of the show — and then it was time for the tree lighting. Mayor De Blasio was on hand to hit the switch that turned on all 45,000 tree lights — not to mention the stunning Swarovski tree topper. Even after living in New York City for five years, seeing the Rockefeller tree light up will never not give me chills.

It's officially beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Image: NBC