ONEONTA, N.Y. — Halloween had hardly begun Monday when news about Christmas took center stage.

That’s because a massive Norway spruce in the town of Oneonta has been selected to serve as this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in Manhattan, according to a Monday morning media release from the center.

Area officials in the town of 14,000 said Monday that they were excited to hear the news, rumors of which had been circulating for several months.

The tree is in Angie and Graig Eichler’s backyard.

“It’s true,” Angie Eichler said Monday. “We’re excited. We’ve known for a while now. We’re glad we can finally talk about it.”

However, the Eichlers cannot actually talk about it, at least not to media personnel. Brady Littlefield, a representative from Rubenstein Public Relations, refused to allow any further interviews with them until next week, when the huge evergreen will be cut down.

The Rockefeller Christmas tree tradition dates back to 1931, when construction workers erected the first one on the center plaza block. The holiday icon is now raised there every year.

The center takes applications for a Christmas tree from the public each year, according to the site. To be considered, a tree must be in the later years of its life cycle and must measure at least 75 feet tall and 45 feet in diameter.

“If you have a Norway Spruce you would like us to consider, please complete the form to the left,” the website reads. “Any details on the tree, including its approximate age and any related family stories, are greatly appreciated. If we are interested in exploring your tree more closely, we will be in touch.”

Several friends gathered Monday outside of the Eichlers’ home, a small brown house with green trim.

Meanwhile, workers from Torsilieri Inc. of New Jersey emerged from large trucks and unloaded plywood onto the Eichler’s front lawn. The landscape business has a “reputation for sensitivity in moving large trees,” according to a 2007 obituary in The New York Times for Marc Torsilieri.

The Eichlers’ spruce will be cut Thursday, Nov. 10, and will arrive at its New York City home on Saturday, Nov. 12, according to the Monday media release.

John Carroll, a spokesman from New York State Electric & Gas in Oneonta, said arrangements have already been made to temporarily relocate some wires and conductors at the house so there’s nothing in the way of cranes.

After being wrapped with more than 50,000 multi-colored, LED lights and crowned with a Swarovski star, the Oneonta tree will be lit during NBC’s live “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” broadcast on Wednesday, Nov. 30, the announcement said. The tree will be on display through Saturday, Jan. 7.

According to NBC, the center’s tree is usually milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity after it’s taken down.

Several people said Monday that there have been rumblings of the news around town, but it was largely kept a secret.

Peggy Falco, who lives around the corner on Handsome Avenue, said she can see the tree from her home. She heard several months ago that the spruce was in the running for Rockefeller Center, she said.

“We see it all the time,” said Falco, who has lived in her house for about a year. “The neighborhood has known about it. It’s going to be quite an occasion to see it moved. I’m sure all the neighbors will gather around to watch. Very exciting.”

Oneonta Town Supervisor Robert Wood said he was also “pretty excited” to hear the news Monday.

“I need to drive by and look at it,” he said. “We’re thrilled. When we see it on TV, we’ll all know it’s a little — or big — piece of home.”

Reynolds writes for the Oneonta, New York, Daily Star.