Rockefeller Christmas Tree
People are pictured walking past the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center on Dec. 1, 2017 in New York. Daniel Slim/AFP/Getty Images

The Holiday Season Has Begun! The 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Arrives In NYC

On Saturday, the 2022 Rockefeller Center Center Christmas Tree arrived in historic Rockefeller Plaza Manhattan, officially starting the holiday season.

The Norway Spruce is 82 feet tall and 50-feet-wide. It weighs over 14 tons and is around 85 to 90 years old. The tree made the 200-mile journey from Queensbury, NY, starting on Friday. Neil Lebowitz and his family donated the spruce.

"If it can bring a smile and awe to a little child or help cure up somebody who's a little blue, it's all worth it," Lebowitz said to NBC's Today.

Today reported that Rockefeller Center's head gardener, Erik Pauze, took notice of the tree during a trip to Queensbury this year. Pauze has been selecting the Rockefeller Center tree for the last three decades. Pauze eyed the Norway Spruce on property behind some small businesses and decided that the beauty would be perfect for Manhattan. He called the property owner, Lebowitz, who initially thought Pauze was joking.

"I look for that big, beautiful shape. Nice and green, nice and full. A tree that you would want in your living room for Christmas," Pauze said.

Last year's tree was from Maryland and was 79 feet tall.

The tree sits above the famous Rockefeller Plaza ice rink and will be the centerpiece for the Plaza's annual Holiday decorations. The spruce will be covered in over 50,000 multicolored LED lights. The three-dimensional star tree-topper weighs 900 lbs and has 70 bedazzled spikes with Swarovski three million crystals.

On Nov. 30, the tree will be lit during the official televised tree lighting ceremony. The tree lighting will be broadcast live on NBC during the "Christmas at Rockefeller Center" special from 8 to 10 p.m. EST.

After Nov. 30, the spruce will be lit every day from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. EST. In addition, the tree will be lit 24 hours on Dec. 25 and New Year's Eve from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Rockefeller Center has been placing Christmas trees in its Plaza since 1931 and holding a tree-lighting celebration since 1933.