Darien Family Donates Chicago Christmas Tree

DARIEN, IL – A Darien family's 60-foot blue spruce has been removed to serve as Chicago's Christmas tree at Millennium Park.

The tree was at Efren and Zenaida De La Cruz's house in the 3000 block of Grandview Place.

Every year, Chicago holds a contest to select a tree to place in Millennium Park.

This year, the city drew 100 entries.

On Friday, Darien Mayor Joseph Marchese wrote about the De La Cruz family's tree in Darien's online newsletter.

The De La Cruz family came to the United States from the Philippines, settling in Chicago, Marchese said.

"Efren and Zenaida were hard workers, and while separated from family, sought to establish their new home here in America," the mayor wrote. "While they had what they considered a good life in Chicago, they decided to relocate their young family here in Darien, and they found our Darien community welcoming, finding support from their new neighbors and the Philippine community."

When the news media interviewed the De La Cruzes, one could see the emotion in their faces as they said goodbye to a tree that has been part of their lives for more than three decades, Marchese said.

"This was a great experience for me as Mayor, and my pride in my community and its residents had me beaming throughout the event and will have all of us smiling when we travel to the city for the tree lighting in November," the mayor said.