From Swarovski tree ornaments to US$6,000 crackers: How to have the most opulent Christmas ever
’Tis the season to spend outrageously on crystal Christmas tree ornaments, decadent hampers and luxury Lapland log cabins
Christmas is perhaps the best time of year for those who like to go all out – whether that means trimming your tree with beautiful baubles or giving grandiose gifts. For anyone who wants to spoil themselves or a loved one, there are plenty of outrageously opulent options out there in 2019.
Jazz up your tree
To add a touch of luxury to your Christmas tree, Austrian glass and crystal company Swarovski (the same name that provided Audrey Hepburn’s necklace in Breakfast at Tiffany’s) has a range of Christmas ornaments. You could finish your tree with a crystal tree topper that is made from a combination of mouth-blown glass and tiny, hand-glued crystals (HK$1,250, US$160) or hang a set of three Christmas ball ornaments – the largest of which is a full-cut crystal snowflake inside a mouth-blown glass ball, decorated with more than 2,200 crystals (HK$1,710). For standalone ornaments, there is a Tord Boontje-designed pine tree for HK$3,100, or if you really want to push the boat out, there is a bell jar-enclosed Christmas scene that has 617 facets for HK$4,700.
The world’s most expensive Christmas tree?
If a Christmas tree laden with Swarovski crystal ornaments isn’t quite opulent enough, look to the Kempinski Hotel Bahia in Marbella, Spain, for inspiration. Undoubtedly the world’s most expensive Christmas tree, the 19-foot spruce tree from the mind of British designer and diamond artist Debbie Wingham is decorated with ludicrously expensive ornaments totalling HK$122.6 million.
Inspired by peacock feathers and the art deco era, among the trinkets on the tree are an emu egg painted in diamond dust with adornments from Van Cleef and Arpels, and Chanel, while another is made with diamonds and 24-carat gold and features a US$1 million dollar bill.
