Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree En-Route, To Arrive Saturday: Report

MIDTOWN, NY — For many New Yorkers, the holiday season starts on Saturday.

That's when the 80-foot-tall, 80-year-old Norway Spruce will arrive to Rockefeller Center.

On Thursday, a team arrived in Vestal, NY — about 200 miles upstate — to collect the chosen specimen from the front yard of Matt and Jackie McGinley, who shared their story with the Today Show.

When Rockefeller Center's head gardener, Erik Pauze, who has personally discovered each iconic tree for the holiday display for the past 30 years, knocked on the McGinley's door, they were in disbelief.

"I was like: 'do you understand how crazy you sound right now?'" Matt recounted to the Today Show of when Pauze arrived and asked to look at the massive picea abies in their front yard.

Currently the 12-ton, 43-foot-wide spruce is en route to Manhattan and reportedly made a pit-stop in Sloatsburg Thursday night, with the local fire department snapping photos of the massive tree on its trailer.

And like every year, the tree's arrival will be marked by festivities at Rockefeller Center, with family-friendly concerts, book readings presented by McNally Jackson, letters to Santa, ornament making and caricature artists.

The party starts at 10 a.m. and lasts until 1 p.m. at the south plaza, and will also feature face painting, animal balloons and other fun activities.

To learn more, click here for the official tree arrival web site.

And once the tree is decked out with over 50,000 LED lights and a crowning star, the official tree lighting ceremony will take place on Nov. 29.