The Christmas tree made of knives, bullets and cigarette lighters
- Published
It's beginning to feel a lot like... you know what.
And if you are feeling festive - a Christmas tree - might well be twinkling away in your living room or hallway.
But we bet the decorations hanging from it don't include knives, cigarette lighters and bullets.
Vilnius Airport in Lithuania has unveiled its alternative festive tree - made entirely of items confiscated from passengers.
The tree which is 1.5m (5ft) tall took just over two weeks to create - but it's not just been done for the novelty value.
"The aim is to send an educational message on the importance of aviation security," said a spokesperson from Vilnius Airport.
"The items are prohibited to carry in hand luggage and were taken away from passengers during screening. Knives, scissors, lighters, blades, and all sorts of other dangerous goods.
"So if you don't want your personal, yet prohibited, belongings to land on next year's Christmas tree, better check out the baggage requirements before you pack for your next flight."
Ullapool's creel tree
And it's not just the Lithuanian airport that has got creative with the Christmas tree concept this year.
The village of Ullapool, on the shores of a west Highlands sea loch, has erected a 9m (29.5ft) "tree" made from fishing gear.
It's made from over 340 creels - a cage used for catching shellfish - and is the latest version of a Ullapool tradition dating back to 2016.
A ship with a Christmas tree made of LED lights on board the SV Dar Mlodziezy in Poland
The popularity of non-traditional trees might also be down to people being keen to have a more eco-friendly festive season.
According to Friends of the Earth, over 8 million, external Christmas tree are bought in the UK every December. That's a lot of potential for those trees to have a sizeable carbon footprint, external if they aren't sourced from somewhere near your home, or to be discarded in a way that causes unnecessary waste.
Sustainable alternatives include growing your own tree (holly, apple and Japanese Maple are recommended), renting one or just making sure you burn it, plant it or give it to your local council's green waste scheme, external when you're done.
People are also being encouraged to make the most out of their pine trees once the festive season is over - with suggestions including eating it - yes, really.
Barcelona football stadium has a suspiciously shaped tree
And in the sunny US state of Florida, where the average temperature in December is around 22°C, the local hockey team decided to turn themselves into human winter wonderlands.
All in the spirit of Christmas, ho, ho, ho.
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- Published9 December 2019
- Published5 January 2019
