Philadelphia holiday tree arrives at City Hall

• The city will host its annual tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 4. The event will include performances from Grammy-winning artist Ashanti and the Philadelphia Girls Choir.

Zoom in:  The 75-year-old white fir was hauled in on a flatbed truck from Yule Tree Farms in Hornell, New York.

• It took a four-person crew a week to cut down the tree and prepare it prepare it for its 300-mile trek to Philly.

What theyr'e saying: "There is a bit of sadness when you see something that has been a part of three generations of tree growers leave the farm," Dan Stutzman of Yule Tree Farms said in a statement.

• "But it's awesome to think of the smiles it's going to provide being seen by so many people."

By the numbers: The tree is festooned with more than 6,000 LED lights and hundreds of ornaments plus a new custom tree topper. It takes at least 1,000 man-hours to decorate.