Rockefeller Christmas Tree Arrives In Manhattan For 2017 Holidays

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has arrived, a sure sign that before long, Santa will be making the rounds. The 75-foot spruce was delivered to its base in Rockefeller Plaza Saturday morning after a journey by flatbed truck, and it was reportedly seven years in the planning.

This year's Norway spruce comes from State College, Pennsylvania. The head gardener for Rockefeller Center saw it by chance while driving in 2010.

Long Island resident Erik Pauze had reportedly been on the way to his son's football game in State College, Pennsylvania, when he spotted the tree and stopped to knock on the resident's door seven years ago.

The man who answered was current Gettysburg Area School District Superintendent Jason Perrinn, who at that time was working for the State College school system, the Gettysburg Times reported.

In the years that followed, Pauze stopped by periodically to check on the tree. "...I knew this was the year to take it," the head gardener told the newspaper, noting it has grown 10 feet since he first saw it.

The spruce weighs more than 12 tons and is 50 inches in diameter, according to PennLive. It took six minutes to get a chainsaw through it when the tree was cut down Thursday in State College, Pennsylvania, the news outlet reported. Then it was hoisted onto the truck for its journey to New York.

For decades, the Rockefeller Christmas Tree has served as an iconic centerpiece of hope and splendor during the holiday season. The tradition dates back to the Great Depression, when workers lined up around a Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza's construction site to get their paychecks, according to Rockefeller Center.

The arrival of the tree was the first of a series of events drawing onlookers:

• A 9.5-foot Swarovski crystal star will be added to the tree on Thursday, Nov. 16. More dazzle is on the way; a dozen trumpeting angels, consisting of a group of 8-foot-tall wire sculptures whose brass instruments point toward the tree, will arrive on Saturday, Nov. 18.
• The scaffolding surrounding the tree will be removed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the day before Thanksgiving.
• The 85th annual tree lighting ceremony is planned for Wednesday, Nov. 29, and will feature live musical performances from 7–9 p.m. by artists including Brett Eldredge, Jennifer Nettles, Leslie Odom Jr., Pentatonix, Gwen Stefani and The Tenors at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It will be broadcast on NBC.

The 2017 tree will remain lit and on display until 9 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2018. Then it will be donated to Habitat for Humanity to be made into lumber to help build homes for those in need.

Pictured, the 75-foot Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree from State College, Pennsylvania, pulls into Rockefeller Plaza in New York on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017. The 85th Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony will be on Wednesday, Nov. 29. (Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Tishman Speyer)