How to put lights on a Christmas tree

Putting lights on a Christmas tree may be a simple task for some, but how easy do you think it will be for you? There are a few simple guidelines that will simplify the task and ensure that your tree looks bright, cheerful and attractive.

The first step in learning how to put lights on a Christmas tree involves choosing the tree. The broad choice will be between a real tree and a fake tree. Then you’ll choose what size tree you want to decorate. Fake trees are regular in shape and they come in different sizes. They usually makes them easier to work with. Real trees often have odd shapes, because of the way they have grown. Now some people might think it’s best to use a plastic tree instead of cutting a real tree down. Two arguments against this are:

1. you can plant a real tree after you’ve used it for Christmas, or keep it in a pot and use it again next year, and
2. you can cut down an alien tree that shouldn’t be growing anyway – depending of course where you live.

Whether you choose real or fake, Christmas trees are usually conifers, like fir or pine trees. But there’s nothing to stop you breaking the rules.

The next step in learning how to put lights on a Christmas tree involves the lights themselves. Generally string or rope lights are the obvious choice because they are flexible and you can wind them around the tree. Here the choice is between electric or solar. If you go solar, your lights will come with light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. If you go electric, your choice will be between incandescent or fluorescent, and LED, although fewer people are using the first two nowadays. LED bulbs are energy efficient and they can provide up to 20 years of light, without needing to be replaced. More on LED Christmas lights

Like old-fashioned Christmas lights, LED string lights come in different shapes and colors. Some flash and flicker, others don’t. They come in strings that have anything from 50 to more than 100 LED bulbs attached.

Apart from the energy-saving advantages of solar Christmas lights, you won’t have to worry about a plug point when you position the tree. You can even have it in the garden if you wish. Check our selection of solar string lights and solar rope lights

Once you have a tree and lights, you can get down to the business of how to put lights on a Christmas tree. Decide where you are going to put the tree, and make sure it is stable. Remember that fake trees are a lot lighter than real trees, so if yours is real, you may need to weigh down the pot with bricks to stop it from falling over. Stand back and make sure it is exactly where you want it to be before you start assembling the lights and any other decorations you have decided to use.

If you’re going to decorate the tree with tinsel, baubles and other bits and pieces, as well as lights, it’s a good idea to do this first. Keep standing back to see the effect you have created. Then string the lights between the decorations, making sure that you create a nice, balanced effect. That, in a nutshell, is how to put lights on a Christmas tree. More on decorative string lights