The turkey is down to bones, and even the cranberry salad is gone. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are distant memories (at least until the credit card bill arrives) and now it’s time for thoughts of Christmas … in case you hadn’t heard.
And after the Jolly Ol’ Elf himself, one of the most popular symbols of the season is the Christmas tree. Coming in all shapes, sizes, and styles, each one represents warm memories of family, friends, and pleasant, relaxing times in special places.
Discovering new interpretations of this centuries-old tradition is always a treat, such as the towering tree on the beach promenade in Larnaca, Cyprus. Amazingly, it’s entirely constructed from recycled plastic bottles and cans!
This tree is remarkable for a number of reasons. First, someone came up with the idea and actually brought it to fruition. Imagine trying to sell this idea to your boss.
Next, envision collecting and sorting just the RIGHT type of bottles and cans, with the correct color.
Then engineers enter the picture, and determine how this incredible collection of trash can be lashed together to survive the holidays on a windy beach. It has all the marks of a team effort, and Christmas is nothing, if not about togetherness.
It isn’t traditional, but it’s beautiful at night with lights shining through labels of Coke, 7Up and Sunkist. City officials deserve a pat on the back for their imagination. This festive tree sends a clear message of conservation, and adds a bit of joie de vivre to the beach.
Good luck finding (or building) your perfect tree.
Happy Trails,
James
P.S. Coincidentally, we were there on the day they disassembled the tree. And guess what? Everything went into city recycling bins.
GALLIVANCE 
What a striking image! Such creativity and ingenuity to make trash beautiful for Christmas. Thank you for sharing this timely story. – Mike
And Mike, you should have heard all the clattering cans and thumping bottles when the wind gusted off the ocean. It was a multi-sensory Christmas experience. ~James
Good story – I liked it!
Thanks Andrew. It was a cool sight, and amazingly colorful, even without lights. ~James
What?! They took it apart? Do you suppose it is rebuilt every year?
Yep Sue, we saw them taking it apart. Sad really, but storage would be a bear, and imagine all the volunteers that would be denied all that hard work every year. ~James
amazing….
Thanks for the comment and for dropping by the blog. ~James
your welcome… 😀
What a great post and what a clever use of plastic bottles and tin cans. Very clever indeed. Cheers to you for posting and cheers also to the amazing people that thought up and designed this Yuletide masterpiece.
Thanks, and I agree that this tree is very clever. As I stood there looking at it, I just kept wondering how much energy sorting all the different colors must have been. Amazing. ~James
They must have had a big team. Be a great thing for a school to help with I think.
Love it! I wouldn’t’ve thought of the sound…
Thanks Tom. The sound was amazing. And actually, it was one of those sounds that the people with beachside condos nearby probably got very tired of. BTW, I thought of you this very morning. While I jogged, I listened to and enjoyed a podcast of Snap Judgement. It was the one on aliens. If you haven’t heard it, check it out. Thanks for the recommendation. ~James
Very cool. Thanks for sharing. It also shows the importance of recycling because you can see just how much space that number of cans uses.
I agree Jeff. It was very interesting to me that a small city like Larnaca, Cyprus was this serious about recycling. It was a great idea and very good to see. ~James
I ran a monthly community recycling drive once upon a time in my youth, so I always enjoy seeing a creative use for recycled products, James. And the tree is beautiful. In Kodiak, where Peggy and I were this summer, they make an annual art piece out trash they collect off the beaches. It’s both art and a reminder. –Curt
You’re right Curt, this is a great, artful reminder. In addition, the practical pudknocker in me thought that it was also a pretty good engineering feat. It took lots of coordination and planning to build this tree, but it also took some decent engineering to hold it together on a very windy beach. ~James
Amazing! I’m such a fan of art made from “trash,” and this is one of the most impressive. (I also like the idea of Christmas not requiring anything new to be festive!)
Miranda, in addition to being a cool recycling project, there were a couple of spotlights inside the tree which made it very colorful at night as well. Very green this tree – and in Larnaca of all places. ~James
Shame to take it back down! Full marks to Larnaca for forward thinking.
Merry Christmas to you and Terri, James 🙂 I’m a little early but I may not get round everybody!
Thanks Jo, and a Happy Christmas to you as well. We’re at home this year, and are enjoying all our favorite foods and traditions. All the best for the holidays. ~James
I should donate my saved beer bottle caps to them. I’ll bet they could make a stunning star topper with them for this beauty! (Not that I’m admitting to Big D and me drinking a lot of beer this year … 😉 )
Anita, I agree with recycling for a couple of reasons. The most important being keeping the recyclables out of the landfill. But on a personal level, it helps to have the recycle bin taken away each week so there’s no mountain of evidence of my overconsumption of anything. Happy Holidays to you and Big D. ~James