New York State’s holiday tree will come from Ballston Lake, with the Christopher family donating their evergreen tree to stand in the Empire State Plaza in front of the Capitol in Albany. Lifelong state residents Charlene and Ken Christopher had their tree selected out of about 35 other submissions. The two shared that while they will miss their tree, they are excited to be representing “our great state of New York” and will be attending the tree lighting on Sunday, Dec. 7. The free tree-lighting event runs from noon to 8 p.m. and will feature live music, ice-skating performances, a visit from Santa, and more. The tree lighting and fireworks will begin at 5:15 p.m. (Emma Ralls — MediaNews Group)