Airport builds Christmas tree from confiscated knives, scissors, box cutters, and lighters

Merry ChrisTSAmas
By Andy Moser  on 
Airport builds Christmas tree from confiscated knives, scissors, box cutters, and lighters
A Christmas tree made out of confiscated items at the Vilnius Airport in Lithuania. Credit: MARTYNAS JAUGELAVICIUS

The Vilnius Airport in Lithuania is celebrating the holidays in the way only an airport can.

While families all over the world have been placing stars and angels atop their Christmas trees, the Lithuanian airport has fashioned a tree of its own. However, you may notice a slight difference between this tree and the traditional one.

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Vilnius Airport Christmas tree Credit: Martynas Jaugelavicius

This tree is decked with items confiscated from passengers during security screening, according to Marius Zelenius, Lithuanian Airports' Head of Communication. Knives, lighters, and scissors (oh, so many scissors) take the place of ornaments, lights, and ribbons. It's five feet tall and took over two weeks to craft, BBC News reported.

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Christmas tree confiscated items. Credit: Marius Zelenius

"We suppose, that there is so many scissors because travelers don't know that it's prohibited to take them on board," Zelenius told Mashable. "So, with this Christmas tree we want to grab the attention and to show what kind of things are prohibited to carry on a plane."

It's art, really. And it's also an aptly festive warning to air travelers of what not to pack when they head home for the holidays.

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Andy Moser

Andy is a fellow on Mashable's Culture team. He graduated with a B.S. from the University of North Florida in 2018 and moved to New York to pursue journalism in culture and entertainment. He can (and will) talk for too long about Star Wars and movies in general. His fear of stinging insects and 80+ degree weather will keep him inside forever. He wishes he were shorter.


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