(KCEN) -- Later today thousands will gather in Manhattan's Rockefeller Center for the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas tree.
The annual spectacle has become a world famous symbol of the holidays.
But this year it will be special. It represents the strength of those who survived superstorm Sandy.
The tree came from Flanders, New Jersey after surviving the strong winds of Hurricane Sandy.
Joann Conahan from Mt. Olive, New Jersey, "It's great that after all the devastation we've been through we can have a joyous occasion in our community."
The tree is a massive 80-foot-tall Norway Spruce.
It will be decorated in more than 30,000 lights and topped with a Swarvoski crystal star.
