Plan to visit these magnificent symbols of a cherished holiday
Article by Ana Launes
Imagine the magic of Christmas combined with travel. For the adventurer, any excuse represents a sound reason to travel. Let’s visit and use the world’s top Christmas trees as our reason. Here are seven destinations worth visiting during Christmas.
Number 1. Murano, Italy
Natale di Vetro (Christmas of Glass) is an annual, month-long Christmas celebration in Murano, Italy, that begins on December 5, St. Nicholas Day. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of glassblowers, and the island of Murano in the Venetian lagoon has ranked as the world’s finest center for glassmaking since the thirteenth century. In 2006, Murano master glass artist, Simone Cenedese, designed the world’s tallest glass Christmas tree. The 26-foot-tall tree was on display in Campo Santo Stefano that first year and in Venice’s Piazza dei Leoncini the following year. Weighing three tons, the tree was 9.8 ft in diameter and consisted of 2,000 metal rods and 1,000 glass tubes. Illuminated by 40 halogen lights, this magnificent work of art lived up to its name, “Glass Reflections in a Christmas Tree.” Master Cenedese designed another glass sculpture in 2008. This one is on permanent display at Campo Santo Stefano. Titled “Christmas of light in a glass comet,” this blue glass sculpture has become Murano’s symbol of Christmas.
Number 2. Zurich, Switzerland
This year is the 21st year of the sparkling Swarovski Christmas tree at the Christkindlimarkt in the main train station in Zurich. Starting on November 23rd, the beautiful and glittering 50-foot-tall Swarovski tree shimmers with 6,000 Swarovski crystals. The magnificent tree is covered with tiny lights which change color intermittently, and the sparkle can be seen from all corners of the station. Around the base of the tree, there is a Swarovski showcase with pieces from current and past collections. Once , it is mandatory to visit this brilliant spectacle.
Number 3. Dortmund, Germany
One of the tallest trees in the world is at the market “Dortmunder Weihnachtsmarkt” in Dortmund, Germany. The tree rises above a collection of 300 traditional wooden stands selling toys, decorations and holiday-season delicacies. At a height 147 feet, the tree illuminates the night sky with 48,000 lights, providing a festive contrast against the modest surrounding church steeples. Glühwein, or mulled wine, serves as the adult beverage of choice, with the market’s collectible glühwein cup featuring a new design each year. While adults warm themselves with wine, children in the Christmas Village sing, bake and build crafts. Market-goers of all ages gather to dance and sing along with performers at the annual WDR 4 Christmas concert. The tree draws thousands of tourists every year and explains why the relatively small German city invests in a 40-ton Christmas tree every year.
Number 4. Paris, France
Department store GalleriesLafayette, located on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris, always has a breathtaking installation. The tradition dates back over a decade, and each year you sparkling trees underneath the glittering art-nouveau dome of the large . One of the most successful installations they’ve ever done was in 2017. Every ten minutes, a host of inflatable, glittery forms dance up and down is a sight to behold.
Number 5. Washington DC, US
The White House’s National ChristmasTree is transported every year from Alaska and usually stands between 30 and 40feet high. It is one of the most beautifulChristmas trees in the world. This is an honest-to-God live tree, augmented by bits of other trees. Itis, however, surrounded by smaller versions, which in turn represent the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five territories.The decorated tree stands in the northeast quadrant of The Ellipse near theWhite House. Since the 1920s, the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony hasbecome one of the major holiday season attractions in DC with every Presidentsince Franklin D. Roosevelt flipping the switch and giving a speech.
Number 6. Singapore, Malaysia
Asia’s tallest Christmas tree is in Malaysia. The most striking fact about this tree is not its height of 29.5 feet, but that it is made of Legos. This original Christmas tree at Legoland Malaysia is made from 400,000 Lego blocks and more than 300 Lego baubles, including candles and slightly kinky multicolored chains.
Number 7. Osaka, Japan
No need for the cherry blossoms to light up Japan in magical colors when you Guinness World Record holder for “Most illuminated Christmas Tree.” The tree is45 feet tall and holds 550,000 lights, making for quite a dazzler on the Island of the Rising Sun. It’s no surprise the Japanese have managed to yet again hold the trophy for most ribbons, sparkle, and glamour on Christmas. Snow may be a rare sight on this tip of the island, but it’s the sixth year Osaka’s Christmas tree has earned this title.
Now comes the hard part. Which tree and destination is your choice to begin your journey?