It’s that time of year again: Christmas tree season.
Which means everyone is fighting for the best fir or spruce on the lot.
And while you might look at a Christmas tree and wonder how it would look in your living room, there are some out there who see a tree and wonder something completely different: how far they can throw it!
Which is exactly what takes place every year at the Christmas Tree Throwing World Championships in Weidenthal, Germany.
Competitors come together to battle it out and see who can toss their Christmas tree the furthest and the highest.
The Championship is divided into 3 events.
The first is a normal distance toss, similar to a javelin throw.
The second is a spin-and-release throw, which is like a hammer toss in the Olympics.
And the final event looks at how high a tree can be tossed. Like a pole vault, but for trees.
Making it sort of like a north pole vault.
Contestants are given a running total for the day on the three events, and then a winner is crowned.
One competitor shared:
“I think I’m doing okay so far, I got like 18 points. Well, 16, 17, I think, so maybe I’ll win something, I don’t know.”
The Championships have been held for more than a dozen years, and it’s known locally as “Knut-Fest,” which pays homage to Saint Knut’s Day, a holiday typically celebrated in Sweden and Finland.
“The competition is very strong, seeing how the others throw. It’ll be very difficult today.”
Once the champions are honored, the event culminates in a final bonfire of all the trees, in addition to a fireworks display.
That’s right, this competition doesn’t let any tree go to waste. Which is truly a great lesson in recycling.
So as you’re setting your old Christmas tree on the curb once the holidays are over this year, you should probably ask yourself, how far could I throw this?
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