Watch CBS News

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrives in Manhattan as New York starts seeing signs of the season

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrives in New York City
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrives in New York City 02:14

NEW YORK -- Nothing reminds you that Christmas is fast approaching more than the arrival of the big tree at Rockefeller Center.

Other signs of the season are starting to show, too, and some New Yorkers told CBS2's Dave Carlin they're delighted, while others say it's too soon.

The enormous tree ended its tremendous trek at Rockefeller Center early Saturday, arriving from 200 miles away in Queensbury.

Neil Lebowitz and his family donated the 90-year-old Norway spruce, which is 82 feet tall and weighs around 14 tons.

See it: Rockefeller Center Christmas tree cut down upstate

"We gave it so that everybody can enjoy it," Lebowitz said. "Now it's a special tree, and it's something that we can all share around the world, whoever sees it."

"It just kicks off the holiday season," one woman said.

"Ready for Christmas," another woman said.

"That's right, Christmas is coming, baby," one man said.

Next, the tree gets bedazzled with 50,000 LED lights and a crystal star topper weighing 900 pounds before it's officially lit for the holiday season on Nov. 30.

It's a lot of Christmas in one spot, but it's not the only place in the city that's already getting decked out.

Store windows are announcing Christmas well ahead of Thanksgiving.

"You know how it is with retail. After Christmas, then it's New Year's and then it's Valentine's Day," store worker Itima Downey said.

"I think Christmas starts after Thanksgiving. I think it's all starting too early," Hell's Kitchen resident Josh Bumcrot said. "This is a big time for them to make sales, so they want to extend that season as much as possible, so I get it from their perspective, but yeah, I don't like it."

"I love Christmas. I love the togetherness, you know, the positive energy. I love it," Downey said.

RELATED STORY: Experts offer holiday shopping tips as consumers feel the squeeze from inflation

Even though it may be starting to look like Christmas, it's not exactly feeling like it. The high temperature in New York City was close to 70 on Saturday. With people out jogging in t-shirts and shorts, some are saying it doesn't feel like Christmas just yet.

"I don't want to bundle up. I like the warm New York. It makes it way better," SoHo resident Taylor Brainard said.

Upper East Side resident Charles Wegmann said it's not too early for Christmas card shopping.

"I have this long tradition of exchanging Christmas cards with a friend of mine overseas very early on in the season," he said.

It was an early seasonal sale for Delphinium Home in Hell's Kitchen.

"We're ready for it, yeah, absolutely," manager Gary Kirsch said.

From tree limbs to the limbs of joggers, it won't be much longer before you see them all covered up.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.