Who Has, Officially, The World's Biggest Christmas Tree?

Yes, once again, this channel asks the REAL questions. But with at least 4 different countries claiming the record for the world's biggest Christmas tree, which one is actually the largest? I travelled to The Netherlands to see one of the main contenders...
INSTA - / the.tim.traveller
TWIT - / thetimtraveller
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Drone shots thanks to Wiebe de Jager & Chris van Vleuten
Wiebe's drone channel - / @wdejager
Original video here - / 1733723628015931567
On-stage button-pressing footage thanks to Tom Heuvel (reismeester.com/) & Patrick van Domburg (Mayor of IJsselstein)

[@HalfAsleepChris]

Oh wow I think you wrote this whole video as an excuse for the (admittedly superb) joke at the end... also, whoo Basingstoke!

[@paulsengupta971]

London, Paris, New York, Basingstoke.

[@DickHolman]

That's not important. The real question is; why Basingstoke?

[@richardharrold9736]

​@@DickHolman I think that's where Tim is from.

[@MathiasGmail86]

Whoo Basingstoke is not something I think has ever been expressed before lol.

[@richardharrold9736]

@@MathiasGmail86 Basingstoke is one of these underdog 20th century towns that everyone loves to bash but has actually got some fantastic 1930s architecture... like Slough. Betjeman was such a bloody awful snob.

[@sdi87hhk]

That bigger tree pun was glorious, outstanding work lol

[@russellgeisthardt9828]

Also, Pedantree

[@PsyMan2022]

I actually LOLed to that, good work Tim

[@ktaragorn]

Came here to say the same, to support script writers against the rude boss.. Even if they share a name 😂

[@KoenVerheyen]

I bet this video was in the pipeline for months when Tim planted one tiny little pun...

[@Sodium361]

I laughed. Out loud.

[@alexdemoya2119]

Tim, it's not the size of your christmas tree. its how you use it

[@Ganiscol]

And the girth!

[@Thiesi]

That's what all people with small Christmas trees say.

[@Cyber_Chriis]

🙃

[@paulsengupta971]

And whether there's a fairy on top.

[@christ2381]

I think that all on this list made a lot of women happy. And men, too.

[@maestroazzey]

It is a standing tradition here in NL. There were a few years of hardship where they were deemed unable to put the lights on display. Some Dutch celebrities then decided to chip in some donation to make sure the lights would be up there. Thát important is it to (most of) us Dutch that the Gerbrandytoren is lit up every year. In answer to your last question. Living in Rotterdam I am reasonably able to see the lit-up tower as soon as I leave the eastern outskirts of the city. I know that you can see it from the south (along the A27 Motorway) from roughly the northern border area of the North Brabant province (Land van Altena). So that's both on around the 30km (or 19mi) range.

[@a.debree6771]

A couple of years ago on the morning that the lights were to be lit there was a lightning that struck. The blast was heard in de Binnenstad. Sadly that year we also had no christmas tree.

[@ImrePaasen]

Yes this thing is amazing, it has been a huge landmark during winter time for as long as I can remember. And yeah you can indeed see it from very far away. I recently spotted it when driving south on the A27 across the Stichtse Brug (bridge from Flevoland to Utrecht). Which is also about 30km away, but I reckon it is probably possible to spot from up to 50km away given you are high enough to see over the local tree's and structures. I really hope we can keep this amazing and silly tradition for many years to come. :DD

[@wilcovanwinden6581]

As a Dutchie born in Utrecht in 1985, i grew up with this tree and i'm still immensely proud of what was created here.

[@_qilo_4329]

Immensely proud of a clever and very nice, but still, sideproduct.. i cant imagine how proud you must be of actual acomplishments like the Delta works:p that said, i like the tree too.. when i visit Lopik i see it

[@angelstyle1582]

Fellow Utrechter here, i'm there with you. Ever since i was a little kid, the sight of the tree always filled my heart with joy! Also when on the road, driving back home, the giant tree in the distance is so warming. Knowing it's near home and watching it get bigger and bigger the closer you get.

[@wilcovanwinden6581]

@@_qilo_4329 The Delta works are an impressive accomplishment and listed as a modern world wonder (by the society of american civil angineers) for good reason.

[@ami4040]

Uuuuuuuuuuuu

[@_qilo_4329]

@@wilcovanwinden6581 yea i know, thats why i used that..........

[@torrawel]

To all fellow Dutch people here: can't we just give Tim a big applause for his almost perfect pronunciation of the word "IJsselstein"? I say we do! 😂 Then, "Utrecht" was also almost correct. Very impressive!

[@ChristiaanHW]

yeah he did really great with most Dutch words. until he tried Gerbrandy toren, that one got butchered pretty gruesome.

[@Astfgl]

Surprisingly his pronunciation of the word "goedendag" was the worst of all. It was all uphill from there 😄

[@torrawel]

@@Astfgl absoluut. Dat verbaasde me ook ja😂

[@Thiesi]

I'm always impressed with his pronunciation of words in foreign languages. You can clearly tell he's at least looking up the proper pronunciation beforehand and quite likely even practices a few times. Very much appreciated.

[@Demo-critus]

His "goedendag" needs some work though 🙂

[@ritchiehenshaw9075]

0:04 - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Bing Crosby 1:04 - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee 1:35 - Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead 2:12 - O Tannenbaum - Ernst Anschütz/Melchior Franck 2:38 - Even Better Than the Real Thing - U2 3:58 - You're the Best - Joe Esposito 4:43 - You're the Best - Joe Esposito 5:28 - "Wish You Were Here?" theme (christmas reprise)

[@giraffesinc.2193]

Thanks!

[@Marnitvw]

U2 - Even better than the real thing?

[@ritchiehenshaw9075]

@@Marnitvw Great ear! Updated.

[@Joe_2025]

As a British guy living in Utrecht and working near Nieuwegein, it makes me very happy to see this. I can see it from my window near Wilhelminapark, also as far as Woerden

[@tovenaartinus]

It can be seen from much further. In Rotterdam and Uithoorn on the 3th floor you can clearly see it.

[@cvbattum]

I always see it from the train between utrecht and gouda too!

[@apveening]

@@cvbattum Also very well visible from the A12 between those cities.

[@MarkusWitthaut]

Living in Dortmund I would like to state that this "tree" is actually a flower arrangement for which hundreds of smaller trees are attached to a huge scaffold. Nevertheless, it serves it purpose to attract visitors to Dortmund's Christmas market.

[@Trichloressigsaeure]

Yeah, Frankentree is just horrid

[@Thiesi]

​@@Trichloressigsaeure"Frankentree" 😂

[@sirBrouwer]

@@Trichloressigsaeure in that case it would have needed to be placed in Frankfurt.

[@ralr]

So you win "biggest Christmas tree flower arrangement"! 🎉Congrats! 😊

[@Frankfurtdabezzzt]

​@@sirBrouwerNuremberg would be more appropriate

[@michaelreimann4698]

Mount Ingino is 880m above sea level at the top and 550m at the bottom (town level). So it's probably not more than 330m in the vertical dimension.

[@SandiskCruzer]

I still can't fathom why Tim insists on calling it the pedantry *corner*, when clearly the whole channel is littered with pedantry and it's what we're here for in the first place.

[@simontay4851]

Pedantree

[@SandiskCruzer]

@@simontay4851 get out!

[@Adarisa]

He's hoping that by pointing out the more egregious pedantry the overall background pedantry will be less obvious.

[@gspinoza]

The Christmas tree display of Gubbio runs from 580 m of elevation at its base to 820 m at the top, so technically the Dutch one is more "vertically tall".

[@matthijs1526]

I have lived for almost my whole life in the neighbouring town of Nieuwegein. And I could always see the ‘tree’ in December, I basically grew up with it. You can see it from so far away. And whenever I’m on the road and see the tree in the far distance, I know I’m almost home :). Thanks for showing the world about it Tim!

[@pixlpionier]

Nice to see the Christmas tree of IJsselstein featured on your channel! It has become a tradition for our family to attend the lighting of the tree and therefore I also make yearly donations to the non-profit organisation behind it. Whenever we're travelling across the country during Christmas season, it's always a heartwarming beacon of light guiding us home from tens of miles away because we live only a couple of minutes away from that tower. Actually, seeing as you went there by tram, you must have passed our house Tim. :)

[@TroubledTrooper]

That Seattle actual tree from the 50s is mighty impressive, though. Good on you, Seattle.

[@PaulMcElligott]

5:19 I’m dead. 🤣 “Pedantree Corner” was also peak Tim Traveler.

[@Tclans]

Goeiedag! 👋🏼 Ps. I can see it from Gouda. Which is in the direction of Rotterdam.

[@MaybeJohn]

Thanks for the great videos all year, Mr Traveller.

[@pizzaipinya2442]

This year in Spain there was sort of a competition between 2 cities (Vigo, famous for its Christmas lights, and Badalona, which is the new one in that matter) to see which of them had the biggest tree of Spain. The funniest part is that a small town in Northern Spain (Cartes) surpassed them, and the biggest one ended up being a tree in a mall in Granada, so the 2 opponents ended up with the 3rd and 4th place hahaha PD: for those who are wondering, the top goes like this (and all are LED trees, of course): Granada (mall): 57m Cartes: 45m Vigo: 40.5m Badalona: 40m

[@awesomealbertt1150]

“We want to see a Christmas tree! … so I’ve brought you to this 1960s radio tower.” Mmhm yep this is what we all want

[@LeafHuntress]

Hey, it's efficient! Small country, not much space, things have to do double duty. Like a children's playground/ a bike bridge/ a school, see de Dafne Schippersbrug. Or a museum/ a foot path/ a bike path/an auditorium/ a tourist attraction. See het Rijksmuseum or more specific, the bike path going through het Rijksmuseum. Or a bike path/ clearance for HGV's passing through that intersection/a bridge/ lit up at night it's a postcard for the city of Eindhoven. See de Hovenring. Or a tunnel for cars/a harbour for old ships/a museum/a café/a public park - playground on the rooftop. See science museum Nemo. Or very old school, a museum/ nature reserve. See de Hoge Veluwe with het Kröller-Müller museum.

[@mischavansanten8796]

Hi there, I am actually the technical responsible Guy for this langestraat Xmas tree and ran into your nice video. Great work, thank you for that, staking thexwhole thing in the right perspectieven. Best regards from the Netherlands

[@Saskar]

I can confirm that the tree in DeSoto is in fact not the "world's tallest christmas tree structure where the lights create a new shape independent of the existing structure" as the drop tower ride Atmosfear at Liseberg in Gothenburg, Sweden gets the same style of christmas tree lights hung up every year and is taller, at 116 metres. There may very well be even taller ones in that niche though.

[@Plupp8472]

Was just about to write exactly this. It's a bit ironic that they didn't bother to google this in DeSoto. Lisebergstornet has been a christmas tree structure for the past, oh I don't know, 15-20 christmases or so (or perhaps they meant in the USA by "in the world :P ).

[@jamessteel9016]

Happy Christmas Tim 👏 new subscriber this year, absolutely hooked.

[@vixseboxse]

I used to live in an apartment tower in Amersfoort and could see it from there. It was 30 kilometers away as-the-crow-flies.

[@gwaptiva]

Considering the enormous levels of light pollution in the Netherlands, I'm somewhat surprised you can see it from Ijsselstein

[@hazard7732]

Mind giving us a distance as the crow flies?

[@pimschaapherder609]

A Dutchie here: you can see it from many, many kilometers... Pollution? Not that bad overhere.

[@EdwinHofstra]

I could clearly see it from the other end of the Reinaldaweg, some 20km away.

[@familiezeijen]

On the A2 highway you can see it from exit Beesd, approximately 20km away from Ijsselstein

[@Sawer]

@@pimschaapherder609 light pollution is aweful here, but this just isnt a good example of it. Look at the night sky in the netherlands vs any nature bit in any other country, its insane.

[@TimsVideoArchief]

One thing is for sure, at 120km from IJsselstein, i cant see it.

[@sjorslindenbergh982]

Driving past it on nearby highways, its size is really impressive, and very satisfying to look at while in motion.

[@user-fp6dt1os1l]

0:13 love the combination of New York, Paris, and Basingstoke

[@Aprill264]

I grew up about 12 kilometres from this structure, so it's nice to see you visit somewhere so close to home. You could definitely see it from my hometown on a clear night. Also, someone who is much better at mathematics than me needs to calculate the height of the tree in Italy, as I really want to know.

[@tomslastname5560]

if you stood on a rooftop to see above the surrounding trees and houses you could probably see that tower from 30-40km away

[@parkametrist7165]

I learned today that in the UK a Christmas is called 'white' when somewhere in the UK some snowflakes fall and the flakes don't even have to be visible on the ground. It can even be sleet. If you're that loose with your Christmas definitions: the structure in IJsselstein is definitely a tree. 😄

[@JesseKuiper]

While in the Netherlands, the ground has to be fully covered with snow in one specific village (De Bilt) on both 25 AND 26 December.

[@heeeeeyyyyyyyyy]

As far as I’m aware the snow has to fall onto the grounds of the met office for it to be a white Christmas (for betting purposes)

[@user-fj7df3ng7z]

@@heeeeeyyyyyyyyy *Which* met office? I have to imagine the UK has more than one....

[@wraithcadmus]

@@user-fj7df3ng7z Traditionally it was their HQ in London, but now that's moved to Exeter, so it's now a White Christmas in a particular location, with betting being common. To bring it back to the video though, storm names are shared between the Met Office, Met Eirann in Ireland, and the Dutch KNMI. Presumably as if one of us is taking a battering the others will feel the effect too.

[@southron_d1349]

Here in Melbourne (Australia), it's usually at least a warm day. But about 15 years ago, we got a heavy fall of hail which stayed on the ground for some time. Does that count as a White Christmas?

[@colinpovey7923]

Another great video. Always look forward to your information and sense of humor!

[@jgodfrey546]

Happy Holidays, Tim!

[@annettelaurence5716]

Have a wonderful Christmas Tim. Thank you for all your videos🎅

[@roderickmain9697]

That is so groanworthy and I love it. Have a good one Tim.

[@darrenwilson8042]

All the best for the season Tim

[@spinozatheobvious626]

Cool to see you back here! Nobody actually says "goedendag" though... if you want your Dutch greeting to be unique (i imagine 'hallo' would not be distinctive enough) maybe go for "hoi" or alternatively "goeie morgen/goeie middag/goeienavond"

[@gymnasiast90]

Well, not many people, at any rate. Goedendag is used on occasion. Goedemorgen/Goedemiddag/Goedenavond is indeed much more common, though.

[@Jehty21]

But he isn't Jim Carrey 😮 😂

[@MeteorMark]

Fijne feestdagen Tim! Nice you was in the Netherlands again, especially for this event. Haven't seen the Gerbrandytoren in a while, and live to far away to see it from home. (Just remembered, cycled 80 kilometers ( and back) in my Velomobile to the Nedereinds berg this summer for Recumb3nt and Velomobile races there, close by IJsselstein. When I was driving around the country more for work I've seen it plenty of times, always impressive! And if you want to cover our races next year, visit Cycle Vision Amsterdam in June, or the World Championships in Betteshanger Park, Deal, in August!

[@Supermunch2000]

Beautiful! Happy Holiday Season Tim and everyone else!

[@BarrySchmitz]

Dutchy here. Hallo! So, I flew with the drone one day above my house in Den Dolder. What is almost 20 km's from the tower: And the Christmas tree was visible on the screen. So, it will not surprise me when you can see it from towns like Amersfoort or Hilversum when you are living in a 10 story condo. Awesome that you were in The Netherlands again Tim! Tot ziens!

[@adrianrutterford762]

Wonderful!! Thanks Tim.

[@misterjdodd]

😂😂😂Pedantree Corner at 4:20 - well played 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@reneesimpson7094]

What a wonderful Christmas present! A new video from you! Thank you! ❤

[@KrulKrulSprietSpriet]

To answer your question, As a one of the few Dutch persons I can’t see it because there is a mountain in the way.. (also, it would be impressive if you could see it from Maastricht (which is located in a valley)

[@Vicfixx]

As a Dutchie from Maastricht, I can confirm that the tree is not visible that far away (and indeed with al other things in the way). Maybe you would be able to see it from Den Bosch or even Eindhoven, but either way, you would need a drone or a really high building :)

[@frankowalker4662]

Happy Christmas Tim. 🎄

[@Zenas521]

Marry Christmas Tim, and a Happy New Year.

[@testman9541]

Merci Tim, bon Noël 🎉

[@aleksandarbrzic8351]

Far, far, faaaaaaaar too long without you! Welcome back!

[@mrtnsnp]

I live about 530 meter from that tree. I can see it, quite clearly. I know it can be seen from Nieuwkoop at ground level, and it can be seen from Leiden, but that is a bit higher up, on the 15th floor, if I'm not mistaken.

[@Anti_Woke]

Merry Christmas Tim.

[@Lunaviia]

Recently drove from Helmond to Amsterdam and I could see it from about Breukelen and from Geldermalsen

[@raphaelnikolaus0486]

Pedantree. Bigger-tree. Wow, Tim, wow

[@TrippingtheBrightFantastic]

This made me laugh out loud, repeatedly. Tim, whatever you celebrate this time of year, I hope you enjoy it.

[@blueyez1980]

Reaction to thumbnail: "Well, I guess it depends on how you want to define Christmas tree..." Then I noticed who the creator is, and knew it would directly address this.

[@Astfgl]

Damn it Tim, you were in The Netherlands again and I didn't know! You were even super close to where I live! Anyway, glad to see you back and thanks for shining a spotlight on our wonderfully unique Christmas tree :D

[@rjung_ch]

Can you see the tree from your home?

[@Astfgl]

@@rjung_ch If I stand on the roof of my apartment building, I probably can. It's a bit too rainy to be going out on the roof right now though :p

[@dauerwerbesendung7045]

@@Astfgl don't make up excuses, we need to know!

[@osmanpasha96]

@@Astfgl Typical Netherlands...

[@rjung_ch]

@@Astfgl good point of standing on roof's during the rain!

[@HenrysAdventures]

They're all great Christmas trees/structures! That was an entertaining video. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[@user-vy5nq1qk5u]

I live in Amsterdam and as we speak I can see the Christmas Tree Gerbrandytoren from my window at about 42 kilometers distance! But given that on a clear day I can see buildings in Rotterdam (55 km) and, if lucky, plumes of chimney smoke in Geertruidenberg (72 km) I guess that the tower would be visible from similar distances in the Netherlands.

[@-Benedict]

I am happy to confirm that you can see this tree display from Sint Maarten.

[@telhudson863]

Well I've just seen it from Waikikkamukau in New Zealand. Admittedly it was on the screen of my computer but it's the seeing that counts. 😁

[@cianoreillycork]

Love to see Utrecht, currently studying there on Erasmus!! Saw the tree last Friday, it’s truly so awesome in person🎄

[@litterpicker]

Yes, but how far away can you see it from?

[@cianoreillycork]

I haven't seen it from here in Utrecht but I'm sure on a clear evening you most likely could somewhere high up, was able to see it perfectly in Nieuwegein which is between the two cities

[@Danger_mouse]

Merry Christmas Tim! A great bit of international interest, an all inclusive answer and a good dollop of pendentry for free at the end 👌 That's why we keep coming back!

[@ThijsAh]

As a dutch person now living in Utrecht with family in Breda, it's always a delight in winter to drive from Breda to Utrecht and see the tree from the highway from what must be a dozen kilometers away. Really brightens my day :)

[@douglasboyle6544]

Not to be pedantic but technically it brightens your night too ;)

[@SuperTobyproductions]

I live in Utrecht, and when I cycle (duh) at night I can see it from many neighbourning villages. Love that you covered this one Tim, when I stick my head out of my window I can see this tree everyday :)

[@Okurka.]

Can't you see through your window?

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

The biggest christmas tree ever being in seattle is not at all a surprise considering how dense the pine trees are. The entire PNW is just one large temperate rainforest.

[@peterdean8009]

For all the millions of non-Americans, please explain 'PNW'.

[@Trebuchet48]

@@peterdean8009 "Pacific NorthWest". And pines are very much NOT the predominant evergreens in our forests. Douglas-Fir, Western Hemlock, and Western Red Cedar are.

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

@@Trebuchet48 Oh please, every one is going to say they're pine trees. People just say pine trees to talk about every evergreen. It doesn't matter.

[@eentoffenaam]

Living in the Netherlands and working in Utrecht I see the IJsselstein Christmas tree from my car. The first glimpse I get is around Geldermalsen, which is about 20 km from IJsselstein.

[@barttemolder3405]

I live in Nieuwegein, in between Utrecht and IJsselstein (you came very close to our house on your trip by public transport!) and when we open the front door we look straight toward the Gerbrandy tower. Always happy to see those lights nearing Christmas. Long ago, when my father was the head of the Radiocontroledienst of the PTT (radio administration unit of the post and telecommunications office) he visited and was taken up quite high inside the Gerbrandy tower. The top part is quite narrow and rocks in the wind. People working in that tower do deserve a lot of respect.

[@TheTrainGal]

Christmas, pedantry, and a historical reference to a historically significant mall in my own hometown? This video is a Christmas miracle to me!

[@stuartajc8141]

* pedantree

[@TheUglyPrimadonna]

Thank you Tim, have a lovely holiday!

[@therektfactory]

I was so amazed that i could see it from Dordrecht. Its not super huge from there, but you can definitely recognize the shape. Its like a 45 minute drive away

[@Michaeleverwijn]

Hi Tim, love your videos. I work near IJsselstein in Oudewater and I can see the Christmas tree, which us about 20km away.

[@R2k2]

Fun fact(s): Altough located in IJsselstein, the Gerbrandy tower is better know as the 'Lopik broadcast tower', Named after the nearby town of Lopik. Also, during the christmas period of 1996, a group of HAM-radio amateurs set up a radio shack in the 'crows nest', and it was assigned the callsign PA6XMT. PA6 being the prefix for the Netherlands, and XMT standing for Christmas tree. By the way, nice job of pronouncing IJsselstein and Utrecht!!

[@gymnasiast90]

It is _confused_ with the Lopik broadcast tower. Lopik had a medium wave broadcast tower, which was demolished in 2015.

[@R2k2]

You're right, I stand corrected!

[@QemeH]

If my very basic math is correct, the tip of the tower will drop below the horizon at around 74 kilometers distance, so you definitively can't see it in the entire Netherlands - no matter how flat they are. (Unless, ofcourse, you happen to be a flat earther, in which case you can see it from New York...)

[@paulsengupta971]

What if you live at the top of a 13 storey tower block?

[@LeafHuntress]

@@paulsengupta971 You'd still need clear weather, which rarely happens in this country. Also, you are 2 stories shy of a tube station, according to TfL.

[@grrlpurpleable]

Merry Christmas The Tim Traveller :)

[@comedyhunter]

Brill vid, love it and Happy Christmas Tim

[@Eurovision-OLD]

Last week we drove back home in Utrecht from Amsterdam, and could see it within just a few minutes of leaving the city.

[@ardrek_]

That cheered me up!!

[@ruthorgan5902]

Great work Tim, now and throughout the year. 👏👏👏👍

[@mischavanachthoven9307]

I live fairly close to Ijsselstein, and can see the tree everyday if I leave my city (Oudewater) in whatever direction. If I remember correctly, you are able to, depending where you are looking from, see the tree from about 30 to 40 km away.

[@send2wj]

Because of its height and the lights guess it should been seen from the higher buildings in Rotterdam. That’s at least 40 km. Not when it is cloudy.

[@kencarlile1212]

Oh, that one took me a little while. Well done, sir!

[@sannekimenai639]

I was already about to comment the genius of 'pedan-tree corner', and then you hit me with that joke at the end. Brilliant!

[@bensel1547]

We dutchies need this big tree, because we are so tall, other trees just wont do

[@NaomiClareNL]

Ha! You went to visit the city I was born in and lived in or the first 4 years of my life. As for seeing it. didn't look out of the train this week but there was a time a few years ago I travelled on an almost daily basis between Rotterdam and Utrecht and beyond via Gouda. The tree is certainly visible from the trains running between Utrecht and Gouda.

[@FreekDijkstra]

Pedantree corner: the tree, erm, radio tower is also called the "Lopik" tower, even though Lopik is a town a short distance away. The reason is that the short wave emitters (for radio broadcast) are at Lopik and in the 60s, those were deemed more important this new thing called television, whose tower was in IJsselstein, just a short distance away.

[@thesteelrodent1796]

by Danish definitions, a Christmas Tree can only compete if it is an actual singular tree. Lights shaped like a tree, multiple trees bunched together, and whatever, do not count and it doesn't matter how tall, fat, or wide they are because they're not trees. As natural Christmas trees is one of our major exports, we're very particular about what is and isn't a tree. Also, fun fact: thanks to all the efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, pine trees grow slower nowadays than they used to just a few decades ago, and thus don't get as tall in time for Christmas. This means the trees keep getting increasingly more expensive and the tallest trees rarer by each year

[@rgibson7305]

WE (Americans) LOVE YOU, TIM, and Merry Christmas!!

[@paulfranks9760]

Thanks Tim splendid bit of lunacy, keep them coming i thoroughly enjoy them, thank you and happy whatever it is you celebrate👍👍👍🍻🍷

[@colin.d]

Delightful seasonal video Tim, and thanks for all your superb material this year, can't wait for more!

[@silviovlug8253]

In a very open place, you can see it from about 20 kilometers away. With and without the lights. I drive trains for a living and between Gouda and Woerden i have a clear view of the tower in the evening and night.

[@ThreeRunHomer]

I can see the Dutch tree from my porch in Tennessee. Impressive.

[@wernervanpeppen4873]

Used to see it on the road from Gouda to Hilversum near Utrecht. It's so tall you can see it miles away

[@edwinpostma0640]

They also called it the " de kerstboom voor vrachtwagenchauffeurs" or in english, "the christmas tree for the truck drivers". You can't see it from really far. It depents from where you come from. From Amsterdam, the north and from the polder, Utrecht is the first in the way. it then blocks the view. From the south or The Hague/Rotterdam you can see it from about 10 kilometers away.

[@Unzepe]

Living in Utrecht, you can’t see the tree from my house. But then nobody in IJsselstein nether, due to the weather 😂

[@jonjermey]

Welcome back, Tim. We've missed you.

[@Jobolix]

If the weather is right you can see it from Gouda if you know where to look! I lived in Vianen (a town south of Ijsselstein) the tree could be seen from our street!

[@tommasomarcuzzo4235]

If we'd be measuring by volume/mass, it would HAVE to be the Ryugyong hotel in Pyongyang. It's triangular and it's lit with red, blue and white lights. Plus it's 330m tall, which is not quite the record but still massive.

[@juliovazquez539]

North Korea entered the chat

[@hassesiemonsdochter574]

But it has nothing to do with Christmas. Christmas is seen as a christian tradition in the DPRK,and all religious celebrating that has nothing to do with Juche is forbidden. But if a Christmas tree can be a Christmas tree without being a tree, is it possible to be a Christmas tree without being Christmas?

[@dogcarman]

@@hassesiemonsdochter574Ma heid asplode…

[@TrevorMoses312]

😅😅

[@rontanser9369]

Well that was interesting thank you and may I wish you a very happy Christmas and New Year

[@peterbatenburg9057]

To answer your question Tim. Driving back from work in the the Hague & Leiden area to my former home close to IJsselstein, I have spotted the christmas tree on clear nights when exciting Leiden and entering the N11, or from the A12 between Zoetermeer and Gouda.

[@danielturner6550]

I live a few towns over from Ijsselstein, and it genuinely makes me feel nicer when its turned on. I've found myself strangest spots still being able to see the tree all throughout the region, its makes me happy every time it catches my eyes during the holidays.

[@cthart]

And that's what it's all about.

[@yourineeven8457]

My grandmother lived in Nieuwegein right next to Ijsselstein and as she was born the day after Christmas we would always go there the 27th and see the tree lit up coming down on the highway. This is the first year we will not be passing it as she passed away this summer at 99.

[@rijstwafel3722]

No way you pulled up to Ijsselstein, so weird seeing de kerstboom on your channel after following you for so long

[@nacnuDsuperb]

I used to live in Benschop, about 5 kilometers away of IJsselstein. Growing up I could see the 'tree' from my bedroom window. Seeing it now when I visit my parents or in-laws (who both still live there) feels very nostalgic. Furthest away I have been able to clearly see it is from Hilversum, some 31 kilometers away. On clear nights you can probably see it from even further away than that.

[@willewiking98]

merry christmas tim