On Saturday, a crane lifted an 82-foot Norway spruce into place at Rockefeller Plaza bringing an iconic symbol of Christmas to New York City. At around 7 a.m., about 100 bold fans braved the rainy morning to see the Christmas tree arrive in Rockefeller Center. 

A 65-year-old retired woman, Patty Burbacher, rode the early train to witness the lifting of the tree into position.  “I got up at six just to see the tree put up. “It was crazy to watch it hoisted last year when I saw it for the first time. So I decided to return this year,” he said, taking pictures of the tree.

The official lighting of the Christmas tree is Nov. 30. Thousands of lights and a star covered in millions of crystals will adorn the 14-ton Christmas tree.

On Thursday, a flatbed truck carried the 90-year-old tree from Queensbury, New York, to New York City, a distance of 322 kilometers.

Neil Lebowitz, whose family donated the tree early this year, said, “We gave it in the hope that everyone would appreciate it.

“It was just a fantastic tree to me. It is now a special tree. Anyone everywhere in the world can enjoy it,” said Lebowitz.

The Christmas tree has lower branches that reach a diameter of 50 feet (15 meters). It will illuminate 50,000 lights of various colors. 3 million crystals will make up its star, weighing 408 kg.

According to officials, the tree will be turned into lumber after the holidays and donated to Habitat for Humanity.