The majestic Christmas tree destined to illuminate Rockefeller Center this festive season is currently making its journey to New York City.
This impressive 75-foot (23-meter) Norway spruce was cut down on Thursday morning in East Greenbush, a suburb near Albany, around 150 miles (240 kilometers) from Manhattan.
Weighing in at 11 tons, the tree was carefully placed onto a 100-foot (31-meter) trailer as a crowd gathered to witness the event. It is scheduled to arrive at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Saturday, where it will be positioned in front of the iconic Art Deco building, overlooking the renowned ice skating rink.
The tree will be adorned with over 50,000 multicolored, energy-efficient LED lights and topped with a 900-pound (408-kilogram) Swarovski star.
Its official lighting ceremony is set for December 3, hosted by country music star Reba McEntire, and will be broadcast live on television. The tree will remain on display until mid-January, after which it will be transformed into lumber for Habitat for Humanity’s affordable housing projects.
Judy Russ and her family, who donated the tree, shared that it was originally planted by her husband’s great-grandparents back in the 1920s.
“For this to now become the center of New York City Christmas is incredible,” Russ told the radio station 1010 WINS.
The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was put up by workers in 1931 to raise spirits during the Great Depression. The comparatively modest, 20-foot-tall (6-meter-tall) balsam fir was outfitted with handmade garlands made by the workers’ families.
The tradition stuck as the first annual tree-lighting ceremony was held in 1933.
