Rockefeller Christmas tree arrives in New York City
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) 
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) 
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) 
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) 
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) 
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) 
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) 
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) 
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) 
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)
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NEW YORK (AP) — An iconic sign of Christmas arrived in New York City on Saturday as a crane hoisted an 82-foot 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 official Christmas tree lighting will take place on Nov. 30.
The approximately 90-year-old tree was cut Thursday and then lifted onto a flatbed truck for its 200-mile trip from Queensbury, New York, to New York City.
“We gave it (the tree) with the expectation that everybody would enjoy it,” said Neil Lebowitz, whose family donated the tree.
“For me, it was just a nice tree,” Lebowitz was quoted as saying by the New York Post. “Now it’s a special tree. Everybody around the world can enjoy it.”
The tree, whose lower branches extend 50 feet in diameter, will be aglow with 50,000 multicolored lights and topped with a 900-pound star covered in 3 million crystals.
After the holidays, the tree will be milled into lumber for donation to Habitat for Humanity, officials said.
