The famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrived Saturday in New York City to usher in the 2025 holiday season.
The 75-foot Norway Spruce made the 150-mile journey from the Albany suburbs to Manhattan after it was cut down Thursday at a farm in East Greenbush.
"Finally seeing the tree that's been in my family forever in Rock Center is just incredible. It is an overwhelming feeling of joy, pride," tree donor Judy Russ said. "We feel very humble. It's just a full culmination of everything that has happened so far. It's finally happening and we're thrilled."
Workers hold the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree with ropes at Rockefeller Plaza, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in New York.
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AP
It took several hours to put up the massive tree at 30 Rockefeller Center, between West 49th Street and 50th in Midtown. A crane lifted the 11-ton spruce off the flatbed truck and positioned it into its iconic position overlooking the plaza.
The tree will be decorated with more than 50,000 lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star before the official tree lighting on Dec. 3.
The tree will remain on display until mid-January 2026. After it comes down, it will be milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity, according to organizers.
Workers prepare to crane a wrapped 75-foot tall, 11-ton Norway Spruce, that will serve as this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, onto a flatbed truck, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in East Greenbush, N.Y.
Diane Bondareff/AP Content Services for Tishman Speyer
The 2024 Rockefeller Center tree was selected from a farm in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the first time it was picked from that state since 1959. Last year's tree was approximately 74 feet tall and 70 years old.
The tradition dates back to 1931, when workers pooled their money to buy a tree and their families made decorations. The first official tree lighting was held two years later.
