A Milwaukee family is spreading holiday cheer by donating their 38-foot Colorado blue spruce to the city for the 112th annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

Kaitlyn Schmidt Thabet, Amgad Thabet and their dog, Zelda, watched as crews carefully removed the towering tree from their property Wednesday morning.

“It was all out of a whim. We were just, you know, in the spirit of the moment,” Amgad Thabet said.

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The tree is now being displayed in what city officials are calling “Cheer District” for the holiday season. The 38-foot spruce is significantly shorter than last year’s 64-foot tree, but Chris Kling, urban forestry manager for the city, selected it anyway.

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