The Christmas season is inching ever closer, and a big yearly milestone is coming right up: This year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is set for delivery this week!
The 2021 tree, the first from the state of Maryland, will come down on Nov. 11 and arrive in New York City on Nov. 13, according to Martha Stewart. Then it’ll take a couple of weeks to get the tree sparkled up for its big debut on Dec. 1.
The official Rockefeller Center Twitter account shared a photo and a few details about the first tree from The Old Line State:
Meet the 2021 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree! For the first time ever, the tree is from Maryland. The 79-ft Norway Spruce will be cut on Nov 11 and arrive at Rock Center Nov 13. Click for tree lighting details and more on our @habitat_org partnership.https://t.co/oxqHEmHWQC pic.twitter.com/Hyv5FWKqrf
— Rockefeller Center (@rockcenternyc) November 4, 2021
She’s a beauty, that’s for sure! Click on the tweet to get a full-length view of the tree in all its magnificence.
An Elkton, Maryland, family offered the Norway Spruce for this year’s Rock Center Christmas celebration and will donate the tree. In past years the iconic holiday tree has generally come from New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania, although spruces from Ohio and Vermont and even Canada have also stood in midtown Manhattan since the tradition began in 1933.
The Arbor Day Foundation notes that Norway Spruces tend to grow to 40-60 feet tall — meaning the Rock Center tree, at almost 80 feet, is truly gigantic.
The Baltimore Sun reports that after the 12-ton tree comes down in January, it’ll be processed into lumber to build Habitat for Humanity homes. This is a long-standing tradition.
Baltimore TV station WBAL caught some awesome aerial footage of arborists getting the tree trimmed down and ready to cut. Check it out:
That’s a really big Christmas tree.
Over the next few weeks, the tree will be covered in 50,000 energy-efficient LED lights and crowned with a glittering, 9-foot-tall star. Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, the star glitters with 3 million Swarovski crystals!
It’s a New York tradition to go see the tree during the holidays and maybe even take a spin on the legendary ice rink at its feet. If you’re not in the NYC area, though, you can watch the tree-lighting ceremony on Dec. 1 on NBC.
There’s no ice-skating if you’re catching the event from your living room, unfortunately, unless you’ve got a pretty sweet setup at home — but you’ll still see the finished tree in all its glory with music and merriment. Brew up some cozy drinks and check your local TV listings!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
