Workers steady the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree as a crane lifts the donated tree into place Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - An iconic sign of Christmas arrived in New York City on Saturday as a crane hoisted an 82-foot (25-meter) Norway spruce into place at Rockefeller Plaza, where the 14-ton tree will be festooned with thousands of lights and topped with a star encrusted with millions of crystals.
The Christmas tree will be officially lit on Nov. 30.
The approximately 90-year-old tree was cut Thursday then lifted onto a flatbed truck for its 200-mile (322-kilometer) trip from Queensbury, New York, to New York City.
'œWe gave it with the expectation that everybody would enjoy it," said Neil Lebowitz, whose family donated the tree.
'œFor me, it was just a nice tree,'ť Lebowitz was quoted as saying by the New York Post. 'œNow it's a special tree. Everybody around the world can enjoy it.'ť
The tree, whose lower branches extend 50 feet (15 meters) in diameter, will be aglow with 50,000 multicolored lights and topped with a 900-pound (408-kilogram) star covered in 3 million crystals.
After the holidays, the tree will be milled into lumber for donation to Habitat for Humanity, officials said.
Spectators watch as the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas is lifted into place Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022 at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. The 82-foot tall Norway spruce was donated by Neil Lebowitz and his family from Queensbury, New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
The Associated Press
Workers steady the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree as a crane lifts the donated tree into place Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
The Associated Press
Workers steady the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree as a crane lifts the donated tree into place Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
The Associated Press
Workers prepare the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree before the donated tree was lifted into place by a crane Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. The tree was cut Thursday then lifted onto a flatbed truck for its to 200-mile (322-kilometer) trip to from Queensbury, New York, to New York City. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
The Associated Press
Workers prepare the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree before the donated tree was lifted into place by a crane Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. The tree was cut Thursday then lifted onto a flatbed truck for its to 200-mile (322-kilometer) trip to from Queensbury, New York, to New York City. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
The Associated Press
Visitors watch as the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas is raised from a trailer Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, following its arrival at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. The tree was cut Thursday then lifted onto a flatbed truck for its to 200-mile (322-kilometer) trip to from Queensbury, New York, to New York City. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
The Associated Press
Visitors watch as the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas is raised from a trailer Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, following its arrival at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. The tree was cut Thursday then lifted onto a flatbed truck for its to 200-mile (322-kilometer) trip to from Queensbury, New York, to New York City. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
The Associated Press
Visitors watch as the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas is raised from a trailer Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, following its arrival at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. The tree was cut Thursday then lifted onto a flatbed truck for its to 200-mile (322-kilometer) trip to from Queensbury, New York, to New York City. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
The Associated Press
Neil Lebowitz of Queensbury, N.Y., playfully grabs his bicep after pounding a stake into the base of the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, after it arrived at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. The 82-foot tall Norway spruce was donated by Lebowitz and his family. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
The Associated Press