CULTURE: Was the $11M Christmas Tree a Bit Over the Top?

Your Christmas tree might be looking a little wan this year, but the party keeps going over in Abu Dhabi in the form of an $11 million Christmas tree. But even the posh hotel that put up the monstrosity now says it might have been a bit overkill: The Emirates Palace, which features a gold bar vending machine, said today that it regretted "attempts to overload the tradition," reports the AP.

How does one manage to blow $11 million on a Christmas tree? The 43-foot faux fir is weighed down by gold, rubies, and diamonds, courtesy of a hotel jeweler. But the Emirates Palace even went so far as to blame the jeweler for the opulence, saying, "The hotel is just a venue for exhibiting the tree."