National Christmas Tree Day: 10 Terrific Tree records to get you in the holiday spirit

The tradition of decorating an evergreen conifer tree to celebrate Christmas can be traced back to 15th century Germany, with the tradition eventually spreading around the world during the second half of the 19th century.

 

With their twinkling lights and baubles, Christmas trees are now firmly established as an integral part of the festive experience for many, but did you know they now have their own national holiday? 

 

Whether you’ve just begun hauling your tree home, or have decked it with tinsel and ornaments, to mark National Christmas Tree Day, here are some of our favourite records that celebrate the symbol of Christmas spirit. 

 

 

 

Worth an incredible 41,329,531 AED ($11,026,900 US; £6,975,880) this blinged-out tree was displayed in the grand lobby of the Emirates Palace (UAE) in Abu Dhabi during the holiday season in 2010. What makes this tree so pricey? Perhaps the lavish  décor; in a stunning 13.1 m (43.2 ft) exhibit of gold and silver, it was covered in 181 items of jewellery. 

 

 

 

No, that’s not Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree! This fragile little tree is actually a record holder for the world’s Oldest Christmas tree. Each year, owner Janet Parker of Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK, puts up the same pine, which was purchased - possibly from Woolworths - for her Great Aunt in 1886. Standing just 30 cm (12 in) high in an ornate pot, it gets adorned with cherubs and the Virgin Mary.

 

 

This magnificent tree measures 55 metres (180.4 feet) from the ground and was achieved by GZ ThinkBig Culture Communication Co.,Ltd. (China) on Christmas Day last year. The diameter of the bottom of the tree is 22 m, and the circumference is 69 m. To add a festive touch to the massive structure, it was covered with green synthetic foliage and decorated with ornaments and lamps.

 

 

 

 

This noble record achieved by the Mission Chengannur and Sobhana George consisted of 4,030 participants who came together regardless of age, gender, or politics to complete the attempt. It was accomplished in Chengannur, India, on 19 December 2015, where the gigantic tree image was mainly comprised of school children from village of Chengannur. The organization aimed to bring people together to join hands in a peaceful manner, they certainly did, on a very large and worldly scale. 

 

 

A record that many could practice at home with their families, or perhaps at your next holiday party! The fastest time to decorate a Christmas tree is 36.89 seconds and was achieved by Sharon Juantuah (UK) in Essex, UK, on 22 November 2013. To properly obtain the record, the tree had to be decked with 100 lights, 2 lengths of tinsel, and 15 baubles. Think you have what it takes to beat their time? Apply here.

 

 

 

The most lights on an artificial Christmas tree is 550,800 and was achieved by USJ Co., Ltd. (Japan) at Universal Studios Japan® in Osaka, Japan. The record holders have beaten their record over six times in past, topping the amount of lights to increase the brilliant spectacle. Park-goers can see the record-breaking tree on display well into the month of December. 

 

This is certainly a title most would enjoy getting lost in! The largest display of illuminated Christmas trees consists of 559 trees, and was achieved by the Hallmark Channel (USA). Hallmark partnered with the The Regan group to arrange the record-holding display as part of a Christmas tree maze for guests to funnel through. The trees, in various glittering colours, made up the walls of the maze located in Heralds Square, New York, New York (USA).  Full House TV actress Candace Cameron even made an appearance to see the trees herself.  In order to make the most of the record, all trees were donated to the Boys and Girls Club after the event so they could have a happy home with families across the U.S. 

 

 

 

In a quaint little town in Malmedy, Belgium, the tree with most lights lit simultaneously stood tall in the year 2010. Dressed in 194,672 dazzling lights, the record was done by Kiwanis Malmedy / Haute Fagnes Belgium in December of that year. The tree also had a whopping 350 garlands measuring 3 m (9 ft 10 in) long. It made for a beautiful record, which offered a warm glow in the snowy town the title was achieved in.

 

 

Surprisingly, this brand new record achieved in Latvia, does indeed involve Christmas trees! Using a series of 412 individual mechanical steps, the e-commerce company Scandiweb developed a Rube Goldberg that turned on the lights of a huge tree in the centre of Riga. For those who don’t know, a Rube Goldberg machine completes a simple task in the most complicated way possible. After 10 minutes of levers, gears, wheels, and balls moving up and down, the beautiful tree stood lit up at the live record attempt, where the crowd cheered with joy. A genius record, it’s arguably one of the most elaborate ways anyone has ever turned on a set of Christmas tree lights. 

 

 

 

Each year many families visit their local Christmas tree farm to chop down their annual tree. We bet they could have used record holder Erin Lavoie (USA) who completed the Most Christmas trees chopped in two minutes! On the set of Guinness World Records: Die GroBten Weltrekorde in Germany, the tree-chopping extraordinaire axed down an incredible 27 trees in 2008.  

 

In the spirit of the holidays, don’t forget to pick up your copy of the perfect present this year! The Guinness World Records 2017 edition and the Gamers Edition are a wonderful gift to place under any tree this holiday season.