The 2025 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has been selected from a home in East Greenbush, N.Y.
The 75-foot Norway spruce was identified by 30 Rock’s head gardener, Erik Pauze, months ago. It will be cut down on Nov. 6 and arrive in Manhattan on Nov. 8.
“As soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect,” Pauze said in an interview released Monday. “What I look for is a tree you’d want in your living room, but on a grander scale.”
This year’s Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 3. As with previous trees, this year’s Norway spruce will be decorated with 50,000 lights and topped with a shimmering Swarovski star.
The tree was donated by the Russ family in East Greenbush, about 5 miles south of downtown Albany. Pauze said he first learned about it after a Rockefeller Center security supervisor showed him a photo and suggested it would be an ideal match.
“I’m excited to make more cherished memories with my family and childhood friends as it becomes the world’s Christmas tree,” Judy Rush said.
The tree will remain standing until mid-January, when it will be removed from Rockefeller Center and milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity.
Rockefeller Center Christmas trees often hail from upstate New York, though last year’s came from West Stockbridge, Mass. Previous trees originating from The Empire State had hometowns including Vestal, Queensbury, Wallkill, Village of Florida and Oneonta.
