Friday, December 23, 2011

  Oldest Christmas tree lights: 42 year old fairy lights sets world record

 PLYMOUTH, UK -- Proud Vina Shaddick is celebrating Christmas this year with a £3 set of fairy lights she bought 42 years ago - which still has the original bulbs , setting the world record for the Oldest Christmas tree lights, according to World Record Academy (www.worldrecordacademy.com).

  Photo:  Vina Shaddick has never even had to replace any of the bulbs in her World's Oldest Christmas light set.  ( enlarge photo )

  The Guinness world record for the most lights lit simultaneously on a Christmas tree is 194,672 and was achieved by Kiwanis Malmedy / Haute Fagnes Belgium in Malmedy, Belgium.

Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the most letters to Santa collected in 24 hours: 1,013 letters, achieved by members of the public in an event organised by the KidzWish Foundation in Stockland Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia .

   Vina, 62, paid £3 for the illuminations at Woolworths in 1969 and she still has the box and spare bulbs. She said: "They've never let me down. They don't make them like this any more."

  "I can't imagine a set bought today - which are much pricier - lasting as well as these."

   Every December, the retired jeweller drapes the string of multi-coloured lights around her artificial tree – which is itself 27 years old – at the home she shares with son Ross, 33, in Plymouth.

  It's all part of a collection of old decorations Vina has including two from the 1950s. She added: "One decoration has the price on the back – 10d – so that must go back a few years, too."

Related world records:  
Oldest Letter to Santa: 100-year-old 'Dear Santa' Letter sets world record

Largest Christmas tree made of plastic bottles: Kaunas (Video)

Largest group of carol singers: UK singers sets world record (Video)

Largest Secret Santa: ITV sets world record (Video)

Largest outdoor Christmas lights display: David Richards

Most people in a nativity scene: Welton Baptist Church

Most people dressed up as turkeys: Dallas Turkey Trot (Video)

Smallest Christmas card: University of Glasgow set world record

Most Santas surfing at the same time: Surfing Santas set world record

Largest Christmas lights decoration: Sun Plaza set world record

Tallest Chocolate Christmas Tree: Patrick Roger

Oldest Christmas tree: 124 year old tree

Most expensively dressed Christmas tree: Emirates Palace

Most Nativity scenes on display: South Florida church

Most Santa hat wearers in one place - Brockton

Largest Group of Carol singers - Credit Union Christmas Pageant

Most Santa Claus images on sand - Sudarshan Pattnaik

Most Scuba Diving Santas - Yorkshire Divers Group

Largest Revolving Christmas Star - Siemens Superstar

Largest gathering of Santa's Elves - ABC Family

Tallest living Christmas tree - Coeur d'Alene

Largest Floating Christmas Tree - Rio de Janeiro

Tallest artificial Christmas tree - Mexico City

Smallest 'snowman' - National Physics Laboratory

Most Santas skating in a Conga Line - Warwick Castle

Most expensive Christmas bauble - Hallmark Jewellers

Biggest fireworks show on the barge - Fireworks do Brasil

Biggest New Year Party - Rio de Janeiro

Largest Santa Claus ice sculpture - Chinese sculptors

Tallest sand sculpture of Santa Claus - Sudarsan Patnaik

Largest winter footwear - Tsar-Valenok

Longest letter to Santa Claus - Romanian Post

Tallest snowman - Bethel residents

Longest time spent inside an inflatable snowglobe - Ben Eckerson

Largest collection of Santa Claus memorabilia - Jean Guy Laquerre


Friday, December 23, 2011