Most Iconic and Dazzling Christmas Trees Around the World
I am sure we all know a few of the famous Christmas trees erected around the world. Surprisingly, there are far more unique and/or special Christmas trees than I ever imagined. Who knew there were so many ways to create the relatively simple Christmas tree? Today I am sharing a handful for your enjoyment.
The first Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center was erected in 1931 by construction workers who placed a small, undecorated tree while they worked at the site. Two years later, another tree appeared in its place, this time draped in lights. From there, the trees kept getting bigger every year. Today, the majestic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, usually a Norway spruce, stands 75 feet tall and bears more than 25,000 twinkling lights in a string measuring 5 miles. The star topper weighs 900 pounds and is made of 3 million Swarovski crystals.
The Christmas tree at the Kempinski Hotel Bahia near Marbella is fashioned from high-value stones and festooned with red, white, pink, and black diamonds, as well as jewelry from Bulgari, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Chanel. The tree also features unique martini glasses, feathers, perfume bottles, and even 3D printed chocolate peacocks along with the standard snowflakes, fairies, and beautifully decorated baubles, all of which are curated with a mixture of materials from diamond dust and 24 carat gold to emu and ostrich eggs. It is worth a staggering $15 million! As such, it is the most expensive Christmas tree in the world.
The largest floating Christmas tree in the world tops at 278 feet tall and is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sitting on a floating platform in the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in the south of the city, for twenty years the city has constructed a Christmas tree with metal frames and millions of LED lights. The lighting of the tree is one of Rio’s most popular Christmas events, with a huge firework display marking the start of the festive season.
The people of London receive a tree for Trafalgar Square from the people of Oslo, Norway every year to express their bonds of friendship and thanks for assistance during World War II. The tree is selected from forests around Oslo and cut down in November at an annual ceremony attended by the British Ambassador to Norway, the Mayor of Oslo, and the Lord Mayor of Westminster. The tree is decorated in the Norwegian style, with lights hanging vertically.
Individual living trees on the slopes of Mount Ingino in Gubbio, Italy, are outfitted with an array of lights to create the stunning visual of a 2,000-foot Christmas tree spanning the mountain from base to peak. The “tree” is switched on remotely by none other than the Pope.
The Christmas Tree at the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Idaho lives all year round and is decorated during the festive season. The Grand Fir is more than 160 feet in height (twice as tall as the Rockefeller Center tree) and dominates the landscape no matter what the season might be. It holds the record as the largest living Christmas Tree. It takes more than 40,000 lights to cover it and has a 10-foot star on top.
In Dortmund, a town in Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany, there is an annual outdoor Weihnachtsmark, or Christmas market, that dates back to 1878. Among the many splendors is the Christmas Tree of Dortmund, which is listed as the “largest natural Christmas tree in the world.” It is a slight misnomer, in that the 145 foot tall “tree” is actually made of 1700 smaller, living fir trees stacked together. It is decorated with 48,000 lights and a gigantic angel on top.
The tree located at Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan, holds the Guiness World Record for having the most lights on an artificial Christmas tree. With 591,840 lights in 2019, the Osaka tree broke its previous record, as it has every year since setting the record in 2011. The park calls it The Universal Illusion Tree, and each year it has a different style and theme with a light show the commonality.
There are so many more I could share but this blog post has to stop somewhere!
I hope these gorgeous examples are inspiring.
I love Christmas trees, unfortunately I have only got a little one this year but it’s still looking good.
Thank you for sharing these photos! I’m assuming they have twenty four hour security guards round the Marbella tree? It seems a little extreme!
They are all beautiful!