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Scott Stump, TODAY contributor reports: What’s 80 feet tall, 50 feet in diameter, weighs 10 tons and is guaranteed to get everyone in the Christmas spirit? It’s the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, which on Wednesday night was lit for the 80th year. Read the full story.

Rich Schultz / AP

Crews use a crane to hoist a 80 ft. tall, 50 ft. diameter, 10-ton Norway Spruce tree from its base at the home of Joseph Balku in Flanders, N.J., on Nov. 13. The tree was laid onto a flatbed truck and transported to New York City where it is this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

Rich Schultz / AP

Crews cut down an 80 ft. tall, 50 ft. diameter, 10-ton Norway Spruce tree that will be this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree at the home of Joseph Balku in Flanders, N.J., on Nov. 13. The tree survived the winds of Hurricane Sandy that left a path of destruction in this New Jersey town and left Balku without electricity for weeks.

A day ago Joseph Balku’s Norway Spruce stood 80-feet tall outside his home in Flanders, N.J. Today it is 50 miles away, the new holiday centerpiece of New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza (also home to NBC News). Over the next two weeks, the tree will be decorated with more than 30,000 multi-colored lights on 5-miles of wire. The 80-year old tree has added meaning, it has been dubbed a “Sandy survivor,” coming from an area affected by the recent storm that wreaked havoc across the Northeast. According to AP:

Balku says he watched the tree, which weighs 10 tons and is 50 feet in diameter, as it swayed in the backyard of his Mount Olive property. Balku says it had been bundled for protection. He lost two other trees and just got electricity back over the weekend.

The tree’s arrival in Midtown serves as an unofficial kick-off to the quickly approaching holiday season. This year’s tree-lighting ceremony will be held on Nov. 28, featuring Cee Lo Green and Mariah Carey (among many other talents).

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Richard Drew / AP

The 80th Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is suspended by a crane in preparation to be raised at Rockefeller Center, on Nov. 14, in New York. The 80-foot Norway Spruce, donated by Joseph Balku, of Flanders, N.J., will be strung with 30,000 multi-colored, LEDs on 5 miles of wire, and topped with a Swarovski Crystal Star. The tree is scheduled to be lit during ceremonies Wednesday Nov. 28.

Andrew Burton / Reuters

The 2012 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is put in position by a crane and crew of workers outside Rockefeller Center in New York, on Nov. 14.

John Moore / Getty Images

Workers prepare the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree before standing it up on Nov. 14, in New York City.

Richard Drew / AP

The 80th Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is suspended by a crane in preparation to be raised at Rockefeller Center, on Nov. 14, in New York.

John Moore / Getty Images

Workers prepare the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree before standing it up on Nov. 14, in New York City.

John Moore / Getty Images

Workers move the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree into position on Nov. 14, in New York City.

Andrew Gombert / EPA

A crane lifts the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City, on Nov. 14.

John Macdougall / AFP - Getty Images

An Asian elephant eats a pine tree in her enclosure at Berlin's Zoologischer Garten zoo, on Jan. 13. The elephants are fed pine trees discarded by Berlin residents after Christmas, once a year.

Caroline Seidel / EPA

An elephant holds up a fir tree at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, on Jan. 13. Every year, the elephants of the Berlin Zoo receive Christmas trees that were not sold during the holiday season. Firs and spruces are a great supplement to the nutritional protocol of the animals.

It turns out that Christmas trees are tasty snacks for elephants. Each year, German zoos will feed unsold Christmas trees to their elephants. The trees are donated by the tree sellers, who would otherwise throw them away. Germany's Spiegel Online spoke to Thomas Kauffels, director of the Opel Zoo near Frankfurt:

Elephants like to eat wood, it's important for their digestion because it gives them roughage, especially in winter when there aren't many leaves on the trees. We fed them one or two trees each per day. If we gave them 10 at a time they'd get picky and would only eat the tips.

Our elephants like the trees. I certainly haven't had any complaints.

The elephants pictured certainly seem to enjoy it!

Caroline Seidel / EPA

An elephant eats parts of a fir tree at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, on Jan. 13. Every year, the elephants of the Berlin Zoo receive Christmas trees that were not sold during the holiday season. Firs and spruces are a great supplement to the nutritional protocol of the animals.

When I was a little kid growing up outside of New York City, my family always tried to make the yearly trip to Rockefeller Plaza to see the Christmas tree and the holiday displays at the department stores. The skating rink and the Plaza have always felt like a special place around the holidays, full of energy and perhaps a bit of nostalgia as well, at least for me.

 Opened in 1936, The Ice Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center celebrates its 75th year as one of the most visited attractions in New York City. The panorama above is a composite of over 65 separate photographs merged together to represent an immersive 360-degree view from the center of the ice.

 Below is a video from Brian Williams on the history of the ice rink and a time-lapse video of the installation of the 12-ton, 2011 Christmas tree.

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The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit on Wednesday night.

AP reports:

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has helped light the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, putting a spotlight on a small-town spruce from Pennsylvania.

The 74-foot (22.5-meter)-tall Norway spruce was illuminated by 30,000 lights during a ceremony Wednesday night.

The crowd was entertained by Neil Diamond and Cee Lo Green. Justin Bieber and Tony Bennett provided pre-taped performances.

Full story here.

Brendan Hoffman / Getty Images

The official White House Christmas Tree arrives via horse-drawn carriage at the White House on Nov. 25. The tree, a 19-foot-tall balsam fir, was grown on Schroeder's Forevergreens farm near Neshkoro, Wisconsin.

Nicholas Kamm / AFP - Getty Images

First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, accompanied by dog Bo, receive the White House Christmas tree on November 25.

The AP reports from WASHINGTON:

Nicholas Kamm / AFP - Getty Images

Michelle Obama speaks with daughter Sasha as they receive the White House Christmas tree.

Michelle Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha, and family dog Bo have witnessed the arrival of a 19-foot balsam fir from Wisconsin as the official White House Christmas tree.

The fir came from Tom and Sue Schroeder's Forevergreens farm near Neshkoro, Wis. It's the first time one of the Schroeder's trees has made it to the White House.

The tree was hauled up the White House driveway on Friday by horse-drawn carriage, where the Obamas inspected it and then gave it a thumbs-up.

The fir is destined for the Blue Room, where it will serve as the centerpiece of White House Christmas decorations.

Read more in TODAY.com's story: Christmas arrives at the White House

Richard Drew / AP

Workers guide the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in position, in New York, on Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. The 74-foot Norway Spruce, from Mifflinville, Pa. is approximately 75 years old and is scheduled to be illuminated Nov. 30.

Brendan Mcdermid / Reuters

Tourists watch as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, a 74 ft Norway Spruce, is installed in New York on Nov. 11, 2011.

Kicking off the holiday season, the Rockefeller Christmas tree has gone up! The Norway Spruce measures 74-feet, and came from the yard of the Keller family in Mifflinville, Pa. Watch the video below to learn more about the "ugly" tree, which was installed today and over the next two weeks will be prepped for the official tree-lighting ceremony on Nov. 30.

Even though plenty of stores throughout New York City put up their decorations immediately after Halloween, to me, the tree's arrival feels like the beginning of the holiday season.

Richard Drew / AP

Workers guide the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in position, in New York, Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. The 74-foot Norway Spruce, from Mifflinville, Pa. is approximately 75 years old and is scheduled to be illuminated on Nov. 30.

Learn about the history of this year's Christmas tree, whose owner once called it "the ugliest tree" he had ever seen:

Mark Stehle / AP for Rockefeller Center

The Christmas tree that will stand in Rockefeller Center was cut down this morning in Mifflinville, Pa. Wednesday, November 9, 2011. It is a 74-foot-high Norway Spruce from the yard of the Keller family.

Mark Stehle / AP for Rockefeller Center

From left to right, Mitch Crawford, Nancy Keller, Emma Crawford, 8, Debra Keller, Keri Crawford, and Olivia Crawford, 11, pose in front of the tree that will stand in Rockefeller Center this year before it was cut down in Mifflinville, Pa. Nov. 9, 2011.

On Friday, you can see the 74-foot tall spruce tree being raised on Rockefeller Plaza, but the big show will be on Nov. 30 for the tree lighting ceremony. Full story. 

For those of us who work in Rockefeller Center, the tree's arrival marks the beginning of the holiday season with crowds descending and creating pedestrian traffic jams all around midtown.