If you were in New York City on Thursday, you might have spotted a walking Christmas tree.

No, your eyes were not fooling you - you likely saw street performer Thomas Liberto from Bel Air, Maryland, who goes by the social media name "Mr Christmas Tree", as he was making his way around midtown New York.

For the past five years, Mr Liberto has made it a tradition to begin the holiday season by travelling from Maryland to New York City in festive costume, to put smiles on strangers' faces during Christmastime.

A quote on his Facebook page says, "I spread smiles everywhere I go with this. It's so ridiculously wonderful".

Last year, according to an online report by The Irish News, Mr Liberto was caught on camera by pop star Joe Jonas, who posted a video of the walking tree on his Twitter page with the caption: "How you win Christmas… Very proud of catching this on camera."