The city of IJsselstein, in the Utrecht province, has once again decorated and lit up its record-breaking Christmas “tree”: the Gerbrandytoren, a 366-metre-high communications tower.
The Grootste Kerstboom (Biggest Christmas Tree), as people call it, will stay illuminated and festive-looking until Three Kings’ Day on January 6, writes De Telegraaf. 🎄
The highlight of Christmas
De Grootste Kerstboom is “literally and figuratively the highlight” of IJsselstein’s Christmas celebrations, mayor, Patrick van Domburg, tells De Telegraaf.
Two Sundays ago, around a thousand spectators braved the rain to watch as he pressed the large button that turns a simple communications tower into a beloved Christmas landmark.
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For Van Domburg, this was the tenth time he had the honour of re-enacting this cherished tradition, but the tree has been lit up a total of 26 times, starting in 1992.
Technically not a tree
“But it’s not a t-” yes, yes, we can hear the objection forming in your head.
Technically, De Grootste Kerstboom is, of course, a tower, not a tree in the traditional sense.
From a distance, however, the lights really do make it look like a giant Christmas tree — so giant, in fact, that on a clear night, it can be seen from Rotterdam and Amsterdam!
For this reason, the Guinness Book of Records recognizes IJsselstein’s tree as the tallest Christmas tree in the world. 🌍
A complex and costly operation
Decorating a 366-metre-high tower with Christmas lights is no easy feat: just placing the 120 LED lights along the four-kilometre rope that holds them in place requires 24 volunteers.
Once that is done, the huge rope still needs to be lowered from above and fixed along the cables holding the tower in place.
Mission kerstboom gone wrong
Sometimes, this complicated operation goes wrong.
Due to different misfortunes ranging from funding and organisational issues to a fire (!) and a lightning strike (!!), on seven occasions, the city has remained tree-less.
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Finding sponsors, in particular, is always challenging. To alleviate this problem, this year, the city came up with a quirky incentive for companies: ten employees chosen from the sponsors will have the opportunity to climb up the illuminated tower.
If you start nagging your boss early enough, you could be one of them next year. 😉
What’s the quirkiest Christmas tradition in your city? Tell us all about it in the comments below!
Image: Djmixedup/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain