Even the merriest of Christmas celebrators can turn grumpy when it comes to the annual holiday rite of putting up the Christmas tree.
But the task of decorating a 9-ft spruce or even untangling an artificial tree pulled from the closet is nothing when compared against the latest in ultimate Christmas trees: a 33-foot-tall tree constructed entirely of LEGOs.
The tree, now on display at the St. Pancras International train station in London, is the tallest LEGO Christmas tree ever constructed.
Each of the tree’s 600,000 LEGO bricks, 172 Lego branches and 1,200 LEGO baubles were assembled by hand by just two men, Duncan Titmarsh, England’s only certified LEGO professional, and his business partner, Ed Diment.
The two men spent two months assembling the tree off-site, followed by two more weeks working at St. Pancras station to add the finishing touches to the tree.
Titmarsh and Diment completed their work Nov. 24, just as Americans celebrated Thanksgiving Day, and just in time for the holiday rush.
“Live builds are always fantastic fun as it always captures the public’s imagination and stops them in their tracks,” Titmarsh told the UK’s Surrey Advertiser. “This tree has certainly created a lot of interest among visitors to St. Pancras.”
The tree’s 172 LEGO branches are decorated with 1,000 ornaments and a garland of LED lights.
Lego creations constructed by Titmarsh before the tree, his biggest task to date, include a LEGO greenhouse, a giant handbag for a British shopping outlet, a giant toothbrush and a map of the London Underground.
The LEGO Christmas tree will remain on display at St. Pancras International through January 3, when it will be taken down, piece by piece.
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