The UAE's best Christmas trees: from minimalist decor to symbols of tolerance

This year's festive offerings are a far cry from your standard foliage dripping in red and gold

The Abu Dhabi Edition is rounding off the Year of Tolerance with a tree that's been created in collaboration with artists from across the UAE. The Tolerance Tree is adorned with a variety of sustainable handcrafted baubles, each featuring a unique design by an artist from the region, including Emirati multidisciplinary artist Ahmad Saeed Al Areef Al Dhaheri; Marwa Elsherbiny, an Egyptian visual artist living in the UAE; Niall Conlon, an Irish artist based in the UAE who specialises in expressionism and cubist artist; artist and curator Noor Al Suwaidi; Abu Dhabi's Maitha Hazza; and Gemma Gallagher, an award winning artist based in the UAE.

Selina Denman

Dec 18, 2019

The UAE's malls, hotels and public spaces are now fully decked out for Christmas, with trees, decorations and twinkling lights heralding the festive season.

But far from your standard foliage dripping in red, white and gold, this year's offerings include a "tolerance tree" created in collaboration with local artists at the Abu Dhabi Edition, a stylish statement crafted by Japanese-French fashion designer Kenzo Takada and a teddy-bear-covered tree that doubles as a charitable initiative.

Click through the gallery above to see six of our favourite Christmas trees in the UAE.

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