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A 15 million dollar Christmas tree

COURTESY OF KEMPINSKI HOTEL BAHÍA

A $15 million Christmas tree sounds excessive, extravagant, lavish, decadent...Yes, but before looking for more qualifications, some clarifications are necessary.

The record value of what the media has dubbed the “Most Expensive Christmas Tree In The World” has been claimed by a beachfront luxury hotel near Marbella in the south of Spain.

To be clear, the astronomical value attached to it isn’t precisely for the tree per se. It’s for the decorations. And what adornments!

COURTESY OF KEMPINSKI HOTEL BAHÍA

Dripping with real diamonds, the tree is the product of a partnership between the Kempinski Hotel Bahia in Estepona, near Marbella on the Spanish Costa del Sol, and celebrity designer Debbie Wingham, a British artist who has crafted showy, life-sized desserts of Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner among others.

She has made her name in the luxury world with other extravagant creations including the most expensive wedding cake in the world, commissioned by a client in Dubai and valued at €50 million euros and the most expensive shoes in the world, a pair of sandals made with gold, pink and blue diamonds worth €15 million.

Along with the high-value stones, including pink, red, white and black diamonds, the tree has edible treats and traditional decorations. 

The Kempinski Hotel Bahia, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, is one of the Kempinski Hotels—“Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group, created in 1897 and with a portfolio of 78 five-star hotels and residences in 34 countries,” according to its website. A night at the Kempinski Hotel Bahía costs between €160 and €620 for special winter promotion.

COURTESY OF KEMPINSKI HOTEL BAHÍA

The tree in Spain was unveiled this week at a reception during which the hotel management explained that the flawlessly-cut and ethically-sourced decorations include three carat pink diamonds, four carat sapphires, oval red diamonds, black and white diamonds and a mixture of designed jewelry from luxury brands.

Art Deco-inspired, the other “baubles” on the tree take the form of luxury items like perfume bottles and martini glasses, 3D printed chocolate peacocks and classic decorations such as snowflakes, fairies and beautifully decorated baubles, carefully curated with diamond dust and 24-karat gold.

There are other Christmas trees that have claimed the title of “Most Expensive”: One was designed by Van Cleef & Arpels and unveiled on December 7, 2001, at the St. Regis Hotel in Los Angeles. It also was encrusted with diamonds and featured the ‘Lutece,’ a $2.6 million emerald-and-diamond-necklace and earring set at its top.

The current  Guinness World Record holder for the world's most expensive Christmas tree is the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, valued at about $11 million. Shown in 2010, it stood at 43.2 feet and was lavishly decorated with 181 pieces of jewelry such as bracelets, necklaces and watches.

 THE EMIRATES PALACE HOTEL CHRISTMAS TREE IN ABU DHABI 

From Forbes (edited)

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The world's youngest Prime Minister

At only 34 years of age, Sanna Marin, who was appointed Finland’s prime minister on December 10th, is the youngest head of government in the world. As well as her youth, her gender also makes her something of a rarity, at least by international standards. She is one of only five women among the European Union’s 28 current leaders. What is more, Ms Marin leads a left-wing coalition whose five parties are all led by women, three of whom are under 35. Her cabinet will contain 12 women and seven men: at 63%, the female share is the highest in the European Union.

To Finns, seeing plenty of women in senior political positions is not unusual. As with other Nordic states, Finland has been at the forefront of gender equality in politics for several years. Forty-seven per cent of its parliamentarians are female, one of the highest shares in the world. Ms Marin is the third woman to become prime minister.

In the rest of Europe, women find it harder to reach the top jobs. The proportion of women in senior positions in EU governments has  increased from 25% in 2009 to 30% this September. And the number of female heads of government has risen from two to five this year. Although Britain’s Theresa May stood down in July, three other women had taken office before Ms Marin: Austria’s interim chancellor, Brigitte Bierlein; Belgium’s prime minister, Sophie Wilmès; and Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen. They join Angela Merkel, who has been Germany’s chancellor since 2005.

Ms Marin knocked two other young politicians off the top of league tables. Ukraine’s Oleksiy Honcharuk, who is 35, was the world’s youngest sitting prime minister (the president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is just 41). New Zealand’s Jacinta Ardern, aged 39, had been the youngest woman in such an office. You might say Ms Marin timed her run well: Sebastian Kurz, Ms Bierlein’s predecessor in Austria, was ousted in May at only 32, having been elected at 31.

However, none of these can equal William Pitt the Younger, who became Britain’s prime minister in 1783 at a mere 24 years old.

From The Economist (edited)

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