Why blame aliens when there’s Santa?

The UFO that shut down Gatwick Airport during Xmas could have been a sleigh.

By ET Bureau | Dec 28, 2018, 09.01 AM IST

Would it really be fair to blame aliens for that peak Christmastime shutdown of London’s Gatwick Airport this year? The chaos caused by an unidentified flying object was first blamed on drones, the current nuisance in the skies after Superman and other airborne entities. But as the device was not actually seen clearly by anyone nor ever apprehended, it is not surprising that presumptions of drones stealing Christmas were junked in favour of the equally (im)probable UFO thesis.

That an expected photograph of the object has appeared in social media in form of that familiar saucer, however, also gives rise to the question why galaxy-trotting aliens never seem to upgrade their spacecraft design for their forays to our corner of the Milky Way. And if, indeed, the aliens’ intention was to get a fix on this annual earthling migration from cold climes to warmer shores during Christmas, why would they disrupt the schedules of thousands of British residents who ritually abandon stockinged fireplaces in search of holiday heat?

Of course, given the time of year, British authorities hopefully also contacted the North American Aerospace Defence Command to rule out the possibility that the culprit was a certain reindeer-pulled sleigh bearing a portly gent plus gifts that had gone off-track thanks to an overdose of Christmas spirit.

Swarovski, Gold: Here's A Look At The Most Expensive Christmas Trees

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It’s no surprise that the most expensive tree in the world was put on display in the land of excess — the UAE. The Emirates Palace hotel, the luxury Abu Dhabi hotel, in 2010, unveiled what is thought to be the world’s most expensive Christmas tree, valued at more than $11 million. The 13-metre fake evergreen tree, located in the hotel’s lobby, was decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped ornaments and small white lights. However, clearly not satisfi ed with just that, the hotel also hoisted watches, necklaces and solid gold bracelets. In hindsight, for a hotel that provides automatic machines to sell gold bars and the use of a private jet, a $11.4 million Christmas tree is no big deal.