The UAE's reputation as the holder of many world records is indisputable. And the festive season is no different.
Over the years, many Christmas-themed feats have been certified by the Guinness World Records. In 2010, Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace made headlines when it unveiled a Christmas tree decorated with 181 items of jewellery. Standing 13.1m tall, the Most Expensive Christmas Tree was estimated to be worth a whopping Dh41 million ($11 million).
The jewellery adorning the tree, which included a Dh3.5 million diamond necklace, was loaned by the Style Gallery, a jeweller at the hotel.
Dubai Mall, itself a holder of many titles, set a world record in 2018 with its Christmas bauble ornament.
Hung in the Star Atrium, American design company Venue Arts was responsible for building the metallic bauble, which measured 6.597m in height, 4.689m in width and weighed 1,100kg.
It took a team of 15 people two nights to assemble the bauble – which was flown in inside 12 crates and three containers – and another night was spent hoisting it up with a forklift, spider lift and two boom lifts.
The giant bauble has reappeared during the festive season over the years.
In 2020, Dubai's Global Village set a record for the most letters to Santa collected in 24 hours. The feat was one of many world records set by the family attraction that year to mark its 25th anniversary.
Starting at 3pm on the December 17 and finishing at 3pm the next day, a total of 2,144 letters letters came from all over the UAE, addressed to Father Christmas.
Christmas is also about greeting cards. Abu Dhabi's Warner Bros World asked all its visitors in 2021 to take part in their record-breaking feat – Most Contributions to a Greeting Card.
There were 20,482 greetings collected on a giant card at the attraction. It was certified by Guinness World Records in January last year.
The same year, nearby attraction Ferrari World Abu Dhabi also achieved a record – Most Contributions to a Colour by Numbers. A total of 4,826 contributions were collected, breaking the previous world record of 2,462.
Netherlands v UAE, Twenty20 International series
Saturday, August 3 - First T20i, Amstelveen
Monday, August 5 – Second T20i, Amstelveen
Tuesday, August 6 – Third T20i, Voorburg
Thursday, August 8 – Fourth T20i, Vooryburg
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
