Designer Tips from The Incredible Christmas Place: *How to Light a Christmas Tree

Have you wondered how the professionals like our skilled designers at Christmas Place have their trees lit so uniformly and neatly? Here's how we do it!

You need:
-About 100 lights per vertical foot of tree (7' tree = 700 lights); we use LED lights for low energy consumption and long life.
-Enough extension cords for the number of light strands you plan to use - always follow the manufacturer's instructions when chaining light strands.
-A good power strip to handle the extension cords and make it easy to turn everything on and off with one switch.
-Chenille stems or twist ties to secure your extension cords to the tree's trunk.

Start by running extension cords up the trunk of the tree and positioning the female ends where they will be needed - this depends on the height of your tree and the number of light strands you'll be using. Use chenille stems or twist ties to secure the extension cords to the tree's trunk.

Starting at the bottom, plug in your first strand of lights, and begin wrapping it around a branch from the trunk out to the tip - and back to the trunk again. Continue to your second branch, and just keep working your way up the tree. If you are lighting an artificial tree, be sure to fluff the branches of your tree as you go.

When you get to the top, any extra length of lights can be tucked down the trunk of the tree for an extra glow.

The finished product is a beautifully-lit Christmas tree, well fluffed, with lights evenly spaced all around and from top to bottom. Now add some novelty lights to compliment your theme, and keep going!

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  Howto & Style