The wonderful decorated and lighted Christmas tree has become an iconic symbol of the Christmas spirit all over the world. There are so many legends concerning the origins of decorating the evergreen tree. One of these legends recounts how Martin Luther was struck by the beauty of some small evergreens while walking through a snow-covered forest. Dusted with snow, the entire landscape was sparkling in the moonlight like an endless ocean twinkling. Martin Luther was so impressed and inspired by the breathtaking scene, that he cut down a fir-tree, brought it home and decorated its branches with lighted candles. That’s why it is believed that the founder of the Lutheran Church was the first to light a Christmas tree.
A traditional Christmas tree is ideal if you have small children, but if traditional Christmas trees are not really your thing, check out these Top 10 most unusual and creative Christmas ‘trees’:
Underwater Christmas Tree
The divers of Manila’s Ocean Park installed a beautiful decorated underwater Christmas tree. They surprised their visitors by posing as Santa Claus and mermaids in front of the underwater evergreen, as part of the park’s Christmas show.
Mountain Dew Christmas Tree
Seen from distance, it looks like a wonderful, traditional Christmas tree, but look closely and you will notice that it is actually made out of 400 empty Mountain Dew cans. If you are planning to construct your own Mountain Dew Christmas ‘tree’, take in consideration David Barshow’s instructions: you will need 400 Mountain Dew cans, a PVC pipe for the trunk, construction markers for its branches and a drill to get the constructions flags into the PVC pipe. David Barshow, the creator, and his three friends needed four days to construct the bizarre ‘tree’.
Upside-Down Christmas Tree
Upside-down Christmas trees are gaining popularity among people who enjoy fun and creative alternatives. The origins of hanging fir trees go as far back as the Middle Ages. Eastern European people hang their trees upside down to symbolize the Holy Trinity. Nowadays, these trees are either attached to the ceiling like a chandelier or placed upside-down in a special tree stand. Are we living in an upside-down world?
A very special and unusual Christmas tree made of potatoes was shown during the 2007 Christmas holidays at a local institute in Lima. The Peruvian students used almost 100 kg of potatoes to create it. What’s really fascinating is the fact that the Aymara people of the Andes cultivate more than 2000 varieties of potatoes which grow at 13,000 feet above sea level. “Best black woman,” “makes the daughter-in-law cry,” “best red woman,” “like a deer’s white tongue,” “like an old bone” and “red shadow” are some of the potato types found in this unusual Christmas ‘tree’. And yes, these are the true names of Peru’s multi-colored and shaped potatoes.
A 60ft LED Christmas ‘tree’ lighted Dublin’s skyline during the 2008 winter season. It weighted five tons and was made of 100,000 bulbs of different sizes. The elegant and energy-efficient installation was designed by Blachere Illumination. Blachere, a leading supplier in outdoor Christmas and decorative lighting, was responsible along the years for creating the famous light shows at the Eiffel Tower, the illumination on Champs Elysées, the Christmas lights of Monaco, St. Petersbourg and Toulouse. Their portfolio includes many other remarkable projects.
Swarovski, one of the world’s leading crystal manufacturer, unveiled also this year some really elegant Christmas tree designs. One of the most glamorous Christmas trees of this year is decorated with over 2000 Swarovski crystal beads. The Christmas ‘tree’ is located at the Siam Paragon Shopping Mall in Thailand. You can admire the 2010 majestic Christmas ‘trees’ by visiting one of these locations. Another favorite of mine is the natural evergreen that lights up Zurich’s central station every Christmas since 13 years. It is decorated with over 7,000 Swarovski crystals. The goal of these campaigns and stunning displays is to promote the company’s products and initiatives.
Murano Glass Christmas Tree
Italy’s Murano Island is a glassmaker’s paradise. Treasured for more than 1000 years and distinguished by its intense colors, exquisite designs, and centuries-old blowing techniques, the Murano glass remains one of Italy’s most appreciated contributions to the art world.
The tallest glass tree in the world was exhibited in Murano on December 2006 and one year later in front of St. Mark’s Square, Venice. Architects Gianmarco Ferro, Paolo Dedemo and Alessio De Lazzari greatly contributed to the success of the project, but the monumental Christmas ‘tree’ was sculpted by Simone Giovanni Cenedese, master glassmaker and main designer. The ‘tree’ was “a modern interpretation of the traditional colors and symbols of the festive season”, said Cenedese.
Environmentally Friendly Christmas Tree
One of the most crazy Christmas ‘trees’ of the list is the environmentally friendly ‘tree’ created with 5 gallon recycled water bottles and PVC pipes. The goal of the eye-catching display was to raise people’s awareness on recycling. Another interesting Christmas ‘tree’ is Paprika’s Ice Tree made from more than 280 recycled water bottles suspended in the air. The quote one person’s trash is another person’s treasure turns out to be true.
Soo Kee Jewellery came first with the idea of creating a Diamond Christmas ‘tree’. This magnificent creation is literally worth a million bucks, since it’s one of the world’s most expensive Christmas trees. Encrusted with thousands of dazzling diamonds totaling 913 carats, 3,762 delicate crystal beads and decorated with almost 500 lights, the ‘tree’ weighted more than 3000 kg. Its value has been estimated at US $1,550,000 in 2007.
The most expensive Christmas tree is actually a sixteen inches tall miniature tree worth $1,800,000. It is composed of preserved roses festooned with precious diamonds. The Christmas ‘tree’ was available to buy at Takashimaya, one of the largest department stores in Singapore.
Isn’t this Christmas ‘tree’ looking…delicious? The French chocolatiers never cease to amaze us with their artistry, passion and colossal chocolate creations.
Patrick Roger, meilleur ouvrier de France, created this year a ten-meter-high chocolate Christmas ‘tree’ to raise money for France’s annual Telethon. The artist and his team worked for one month on this awesome project that weighted four tons. The impressive ‘tree’ was accompanied by legendary Christmas figures such as Santa Claus and his reindeer, all made of delicious dark chocolate. Roger’s idea was to create a winter wonderland, which should please and intrigue both adults and children.
