The Rush family of East Greenbush, New York, has always dreamed of seeing their huge tree, a Norway spruce, decorate Rockefeller Center on Christmas.

That dream came true, but with a touching twist: Dan, Judy’s husband, died in 2020 at the age of just 32. However, their tree will now become a symbol of his memory when it lights up Rockefeller Center for millions of visitors this Christmas season.

“I know my husband would want to be here for this moment,” Judy Rush told NBC. “We’ve always talked about the Rockefeller Center tree. It’s so special that my family’s tree will become the tree of America, if not the world.”

The 23-foot tree was cut down on November 6 and began its journey to Rockefeller Center, where it will arrive on November 8. As Judy said, the tree was planted by her husband’s great-grandparents in the decade of the 1920s.

A family friend who had a relative working at Rockefeller Center managed to get a photo of the Rush family tree into the hands of the center’s head gardener, Erik Pauze. Pauze went to take a closer look at the tree and decided it was perfect for the 2025 lighting, with more than 50,000 lights and a Swarovski star at the top.

“I think I was just hallucinating, like, ‘We have to go back because it can’t be real,'” Judy said. She grew up in New York City, and visiting the Rockefeller Center tree was an annual family tradition.

This year, her participation in the official tree lighting on December 3 will be especially moving as she shares the tree with the rest of the world.

“I cry at home when the tree is lit, so it will probably be impossible to hold it in on that day, but it will be wonderful,” Judy said. “Spread the joy, spread the happiness, love each other. Think of our family, think of my husband, think of us,” she said, adding that “we’re just happy to share it with everyone.”