Chicago

Chicago's Official Christmas Tree Cut Down

"It just makes us proud that this tree that has been here is gonna make Christmas season so fun for everybody else," Gene Nelson said

The most wonderful time of the year is inching closer. 

Chicago's 106th official Christmas tree, a 55-foot blue spruce from Elgin, was cut down Thursday morning. 

The tree belongs to Gene Nelson and his family and was selected from more than 40 submissions sent to the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, city officials said.

"We're super excited. It's just so interesting and exciting to see the processes going on," Nelson said Thursday before the tree was cut down.

"We got to go down to Chicago yesterday and see where it's gonna go and we just thought about all the people that are gonna be walking by on Michigan Avenue to see it and it just makes us proud that this tree that has been here is gonna make Christmas season so fun for everybody else," he added. 

The tree is set to arrive in Chicago's Millennium Park at 7 p.m. Friday. 

Nelson's family will have the opportunity to "flip the switch" at the 106th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Nov. 22, officials said. 

For more information, visit millenniumpark.org.

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