Eat it all up! The Christmas Turkey Meal that cost £125,000 and other festive bank breakers!

09/12/2020

Christmas: Classically the time for families and loved ones to come together with the sharing of gifts and laughter. This year may be a little different for the majority of us, but let’s go back to Christmas past and see how the other half lived last year. For some, indulgence and opulence reached another level where money knew no boundaries…

The world’s most expensive Christmas tree – £15 million

Tinsel may have taken a back seat on this Christmas tree when the ‘baubles’ including flawlessy-cut and ethically-sourced diamond decorations took pride of place. Designer brands such as Bvlgari, Cartier, Chanel and Van Cleef all featured when the Kempinski Hotel¹Bahia near Marbella hung a mixture of jewellery from the tree’s limbs. Diamonds of all colours adorned the tree in various carats, whilst luxury perfume-filled bottles and martini glasses added that extra luxurious sparkle.

The world’s most expensive Christmas turkey £125,000

Chef Ben Spalding²who has worked with Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal created THE dinner of all dinners when he used some of the world’s most expensive ingredients all washed down with a glug of Piper – Heidsieck Champagne 1907 (valued at £37,000).

The Dodine of rare breed turkey with Wagyu beef fillet and heart was wrapped in edible 50-carat gold leaf before being sprinkled with Akbari Pistachios. (Just the nuts were valued at £5,000!) Other extras on the plate included Almas caviar, a £3500 white truffle and a smidge of saffron. Be sure to chew each mouthful to get your money’s worth!

The world’s most expensive Christmas Crackers £3.6million a set

Described as “The world’s most luxurious Christmas crackers” these festive frivolities were nothing short of ultimate opulence with the gift prizes including an Aston Martin Vanquish Coupe, a Cartier Diamond necklace or even a Sunseeker yacht. All crackers were bespoke and made to order for client specifications³. That’s certainly celebrating Christmas with a bang!

The world’s most expensive toy – a Steiff Teddy bear £1,978,000

Margarete Steiff, the brainchild behind the bear, or ‘Teddy Bear’ as we fondly refer to them first created these classic childhood Christmas gifts in 1902. Since then Steiff has created many variations of this popular bear, the most expensive of these dons Louis Vuitton⁴clothing and carries matching teddy bear-sized designer luggage! The teddy was purchased via charity auction and now lives in South Korea.

The world’s most expensive wreath – £2.8million

For some, holly and ivy just aren’t enough! One Finnish florist⁵incorporated diamonds, rubies, lingonberries and blueberries to create a £2.8million wreath which just managed to stay fresh for the 12 days of Christmas. Do you think you would hang a wreath of such value on your front door?!

The Main Man – The World’s most highly paid Santa – £20,000 for a month’s work!

Not only does he have to have a head for heights as he hops from chimney to chimney Father Christmas has to control 9 racing reindeer, manage a team of hundreds of elves and contort his physique through the smallest of sooty chimneys. It’s a job which has many facets and one that should command a good salary. So what’s the going rate for Santa’s Salary⁶? If we head across the pond, Santa in Boston was charging $700 an hour for house-visits in 2019. This year, he’s still earning big – Santa can join your celebrations virtually, earning £250 for a 25 minute call⁷.