A hotel in England unveiled a unique holiday decoration: a 25-foot-tall Christmas tree assembled from 100,000 balloons. The Balloon Christmas Tree, installed outside Moor Hall Hotel and Spa in Sutton, Coldfield, Birmingham, consists of 100,000 balloons and a transparent dome to protect the tree’s parts from popping or blowing away. Naomi Spencer, a balloon artist and the proprietor of Balloon Color Blending, came up with the unique idea as a way to raise £100,000 ($133,411) for charity. Expert balloon artists came together to design special frameworks and patterns to bring the idea to life. People can sponsor a single balloon for £2.50 ($3.33) or £10 ($13.34) for a memorial balloon dedicated to a loved one. For £125 ($166.76) you can have a branded bauble. Spencer said people don’t realize the scale of building a balloon tree, and it’s never been done before in the UK. A massive team made up of engineers, blowers and a design team came together and spent five days creating the unusual Christmas tree. All of the proceeds go to a variety of charities, and the tree display is open to the public until January 6.
