The Big Apple ushered in the holiday season Saturday as an 82-foot Norway spruce arrived safely at Rockefeller Center to take its proper place as one of the world’s most famous Christmas trees.
A small crowd of about 100 hearty spectators braved a rainy morning to lay eyes on the 50-foot-wide tree as it pulled into Rockefeller Centeraround 7 a.m. in a 115-foot-long trailer after a more than 200-mile journey from upstate Queensbury.
Patty Burbacher, a retired 65-year-old, took an early morning trip on 1 train from the Upper West Side to be there when workers lifted and hoisted the 14-ton tree into place.
“I got up at 6 o’clock just to see the tree go up,” she said, taking pictures of the tree on the truck. “I came last year for the first time and it was crazy to watch it go up. So I decided to come back this year.
The Rockefeller Christmas tree is disassembled and removed from the truck. Daniel William McKnight for NY Post
The 82-foot tree required a 115-foot trailer. Daniel William McKnight for NY Post“I’m getting the feel of the Christmas spirit,” she added, laughing. “I like the logistics – it’s very cool to watch how they get it up and once it’s up, it’s wow! Christmas is here.”
Kate Munchrath, 35, a Broadway sound engineer from Washington Heights, has been coming to see the tree’s arrival for four years calling it “joy manifestation.”
“It’s such a tradition. Once it’s lit up it’s everybody’s tree,” Munchrath said. “This is like behind the scenes – the before and the after. You get to know her. You get to meet her before she’s all done up.”
Spectators gathered to watch the iconic tree arrive. Daniel William McKnight for NY PostThe giant symbol of the holiday season was in place by 11 a.m., as the crowd swelled to several hundred. The spectators were given packets with Norway spruce seeds in order to plant their own trees.
“It was really cool! I was excited. I was clapping when they put it up and it was standing straight,” said Olivia Johnson. 12. “It is really pretty. I can’t wait to see what it will look like when the lights go on.”
The 90-year-old tree has been preparing for the journey since it was donated by the Lebowitz family of Glens Falls, NY earlier this year.
A work scales the giant Norway Spruce. Daniel William McKnight for NY Post
A small crowd of about 100 people watched the spectacle unfold. Daniel William McKnight for NY Post“It’s a novel experience.” said Neil Lebowitz. “We gave it with the expectation that everybody would enjoy it.”
“For me, it was just a nice tree,” Lebowitz added. “Now it’s a special tree. Everybody around the world can enjoy it.”
Erik Pauze, the head gardener for Rockefeller Center, said he started caring for the tree in May, making several trips to its top to make sure it was healthy.
Visitors watch as the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas is raised from a trailer. Craig Ruttle/AP“Over the summer when it was really hot and dry, I was up there watering the tree. I was giving it probably 800 to 1,000 gallons [of water] every week to make sure it looks good,” Pauze said.
He said the tree will now sit in a base that holds about 90 gallons of water.
“On a warm day like this, it will drink it up. After about a week, it doesn’t really drink water anymore,” he said.
Neil Lebowitz of Queensbury, N.Y. stands in front of the Rockefeller Christmas tree. Daniel William McKnight for NY PostSometimes the tree harbors secrets like the year a chipmunk was discovered living in it.
“It was the cutest thing,” one worker said laughing.
The lighting ceremony will be Nov. 30. The tree will be adorned with 50,000 multicolored lights and with a star made from 3 million Swarovski crystals.
In 1951, NBC began broadcasting the tree lighting ceremony nationwide.
