The 2019 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Is From Orange County, New York

Even though we have yet to celebrate Halloween, the holiday season in New York City is officially upon us as Rockefeller Center has chosen its Christmas tree.

In a tradition that has lasted for more than eight decades, Rockefeller Center announced on its Instagram page that this year’s tree hails from the Village of Florida in Orange County, N.Y. — just under 60 miles from the busy plaza where the Norway spruce will be raised for millions to admire.

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🎄Here it is: The 2019 #RockefellerCenter Christmas Tree 🎄 The Norway spruce hails from the Village of Florida in Orange County, NY. ⁣ ⁣ Each year, Rockefeller Center receives submissions from families in hopes their tree will bring joy to the millions who visit Rockefeller Plaza during the holiday season. We usually select a Norway spruce that is later on in its life cycle, and plant a young one in its place. Once the holidays have passed, the tree is donated to Habitat for Humanity, where it is recycled and used as lumber in their building projects.⁣ ⁣ The tree will be raised on the plaza on Saturday 11/9—mark your calendars!

A post shared by Rockefeller Center (@rockefellercenter) on Oct 21, 2019 at 6:07am PDT

The raising of the tree, which will happen on Nov. 9, is just the start of the Christmas season in New York City, which is as magical and joyous as the movies make it out to be.

The latest Rockefeller Christmas Tree for 2019 will be brought to the city in November, but won’t be lit until nearly a month later during a televised ceremony on December 4. The tree will then remain lit in its iconic spot in Rockefeller Plaza through early 2020, with the lights shining for a full 24 hours on Christmas Day.

Last year, a 45-year-old, 72-foot-tall Norway spruce was chosen and decorated with more than 50,000 LED lights and a Swarovski star on top.

Details on this year’s tree were not immediately available.

The tradition of seeing the tree each year is one of the many quintessential holiday experiences in the Big Apple. After snapping photos of it, visitors can lace up their skates and go for a spin around one of the city’s ice rinks (Rockefeller Center included, of course), check out one of the many holiday markets, admire the decorative lights in the storefront windows, or even go for a drink inside a heated igloo on a rooftop.

When the holiday season is over, the tree will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, Rock Center's announcement read. The tree will be milled and made into lumber that is then used to build homes.

You can catch this year’s tree lighting ceremony on NBC on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.