The 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is making its 200-mile journey from Vestal in upstate New York to the Big Apple.
The 80-year-old Norway Spruce was cut down Thursday morning and loaded onto the back of a flatbed truck for its trip to the Manhattan holiday hotspot.
The tree, donated by the McGinley family from Vestal, stands 80 feet tall, 43 feet wide and weighs 23 tons, according to Rockefeller Center.
The Christmas tree is expected to arrive in midtown Manhattan on Saturday and will be decorated with more than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights, topped with a Swarovski star that has 3 million crystals.
In addition to the over five miles of lights, the tree will be crowned with a nine-foot, 900-pound Swarovski star, introduced as a decoration for the tree in 2004.
The 80-year-old Norway Spruce was cut down Thursday morning and loaded onto the back of a flatbed truck for its trip to the Manhattan holiday hotspot
The tree, donated by the McGinley family from Vestal, stands 80 feet tall, 43 feet wide, and weighs 23 tons, according to Rockefeller Center
The decorations are set to be as breathtaking as in past years with the year’s tree covered in 50,000 multi-colored LED lights to drape over the carefully-chosen Norway Spruce
The Christmas tree was once again chosen by Erik Pauze, 55, the head gardener for Rockefeller Center, who started as a summer helper at Rockefeller Center when he was a college student in 1988.
Pauze showed up at the McGinley Household on Murray Hill Road a year ago and asked if they would be interested in donating their 12-ton Norway spruce tree, 12 News reported.
‘It was a complete surprise,’ Jackie McGinley told the outlet. ‘But probably the best surprise of our lives.
‘My family has experienced quite a bit of loss in our lives and what we know is after loss it’s memories that stay with people.
‘We are really happy that people will get go to that tree or come to our home and make memories because they will carry that forever.’
Noah McElligott, 10, poses near the wrapped 80-foot tall Norway Spruce that will serve as this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree is expected to arrive in midtown Manhattan on Saturday
The tree’s grand arrival in New York City will be an extravaganza – as usual – with activities and events to get people in the festive mood.
While the ginormous tree is set up in the plaza – kids will get to write letters to Santa and listen to Christmas stories – in addition to the world-famous ice skating location.
Tishman Speyer, the owner of the skyscraper, announced last week that the selected tree would be making its way from Vestal to participate in NBC’s annual tradition.
Tishman Speyer is an American real estate investment company founded in 1978 by Robert Tishman and Jerry Speyer. The firm acquired Rockefeller in 2000 for $1.85 billion.
Norway Spruces are fast-growing evergreen trees that can grow up to 180 feet tall and have an average trunk diameter of around 1.5 meters.
Online estimates suggest that the show-stopping Rockefeller tree could cost more than $73,000 – but is instead donated to the center for free.
The Christmas tree was once again chosen by Erik Pauze, 55, the head gardener for Rockefeller Center, who started as a summer helper at Rockefeller Center when he was a college student in 1988
Norway Spruces are used as the main Christmas tree in several countries around the world.
The popular Christmas tree choice can cost anywhere from $40 to $1,000 for a typical house-appropriate size decoration.
Online estimates suggest that the show-stopping Rockefeller tree could cost more than $73,000 – but is instead donated to the center for free.
The official Christmas Tree Lighting is scheduled for November 29. The tree will be on display until 10 pm on January 13, 2024.
The tree will be taken down and milled into lumber, which since 2007 has been donated to Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit NGO based in Georgia that helps people to construct, rehabilitate and preserve homes.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
