Marlon Wise's Blog: The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has arrived in Midtown

The 12-ton Norway spruce is getting ready for its close-up

This year's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, an enormous, 12-ton Norway spruce, made the journey from State College, PA, to Midtown this weekend. The centerpiece of the whole Christmas shebang at Rockefeller Center (and the source of much of the tourist foot traffic in that area) won't be fully decked out for a few more weeks, but that didn't stop plenty of gawkers from watching the tree be moved into place on Saturday.

The tree has been a Midtown fixture for eight decades, with the first official one going on display in 1933. Per press materials, Erik Pauze, the head gardener for Rockefeller Center, has apparently had his eye on this particular Norway sprice—which is estimated to be around 80 years old—for going on seven years; it was finally ready to meet its festive maker this year.

To get to New York, the tree was first cut down in Pennsylvania, then driven the approximately 240 miles from there to Rockefeller Center. In order to put it into place above the plaza's ice-skating rink, a huge spike was driven into the tree's stump, and a crane then lifted it into place. It'll be decorated with around 50,000 LED lights and topped with a huge Swarovski crystal star prior to the tree lighting on November 29.