The holiday spirit has officially arrived in New York City thanks to the installation of a giant Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center.
The 77-foot (23.5-meter) Norway spruce tree traveled from Florida, New York, to New York City and was lifted into place Saturday, where it will anchor Rockefeller Center's upcoming Christmas festivities.
After its 60-mile trip via flatbed truck, the huge tree was hoisted into the air by a crane before being maneuvered into position in it traditional place, overlooking the skating rink.
The tree is now being prepared for decoration with what will be more than 50,000 lights strung on five miles of wire.
A Swarovski star will cap off the tree's decoration when its installed on November 13 and the 87th Christmas Tree lighting ceremony will be televised on NBC on December 4.
The now 12-ton tree was purchased as a sapling 60 years ago by Carol Schultz, who bought the sapling in 1959 and kept it on a table, before planting it in her front yard after the Christmas season.
Schultz and her companion, Richard O'Donnell, went onto Rockefeller Center's website in 2010 and entered the tree into the selection pool, but never heard back about it.
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Nine years later, however, Rockefeller Center's head gardener Erik Pauze happened to be driving through Florida in the spring when he saw Schultz's tree in her yard.
'I saw this tree and I knocked on her door,' Pauze told the New York Post. 'She told me she had sent it in and I said, "Wow that’s great because it has to go to Rockefeller Center."'
The donated tree was chopped down Thursday and lifted by crane onto a flatbed truck for its trip to New York City.
According to Pauze, what made Schultz's tree a perfect fit for its new role was that it nailed all the requirements for the Rockefeller Center tree, including having 'a nice Christmas shape.'
'It’s gotta look like the kind of tree you want to put in your living room, nice and full and perfect all around,' Pauze said.
At the tree installation Saturday, Schultz - who was given the honor of driving a giant spike into the tree's base - told the New York Post that she 'never fertilized' the tree, instead she 'just talked to it.'
She also noted that she used to enjoy sitting on a bench under the tree when it was at her home and expressed surprise at the sheer size of the tree in its new location.
'It just looks so much taller here than at home, I can’t believe that it was in my yard,' Schultz said, adding that 'I’m glad everyone is going to be able to see how beautiful she is, she’s going to show herself off to the world.'
This article has been adapted from its original source.
