One of the first steps in decorating a Christmas tree, whether fresh or artificial, should be putting on the Christmas lights.
People often do not add enough lights or add them incorrectly, which does not illuminate the Christmas tree like it should.
Designers know that you should have a good base layer of Christmas lights, but then add on to the base layer to make the Christmas tree extra special.
Here are some interior designer tips, tricks, and secrets for how to put lights on a Christmas tree, even if you are using a pre-lit tree this year.
Christmas String Lights Base Layer
You will need standard mini string lights in a transparent, translucent clear, or white color for creating the base layer of lights on your Christmas tree.
Multicolored Christmas lights have more of a juvenile appearance, so interior designers prefer to not use colored lights unless decorating a Christmas tree with a juvenile theme. One other time that designers use multicolored lights is when decorating with vintage inspired colorful ornaments for a retro feel.
You might choose Christmas string lights of a certain color to emphasize a certain color scheme, such as pink Christmas lights on an all pink Christmas tree or green Christmas lights on an all green Christmas tree, however simple clear or white lights work best on most Christmas trees.
Purchase a minimum of 1 strand of 100 lights per foot height of tree (a 6 foot tall Christmas tree would get 6 strands of lights, a 7 foot tall Christmas tree would get 7 strands of lights, an 8 foot tall Christmas tree would get 8 strands of lights, a 9 foot tall Christmas tree would get 9 strands of lights, and a a 10 foot tall Christmas tree would get 10 strands of lights).
Designers know that the base layer of Christmas lights should all be identical size, color, and shape and should not blink or flash or do anything fancy but be continuously lit for the best results.
Be aware that white Christmas lights come in cool white, warm white, pure white, and other "white" colors, so make sure to get all of the same "white" color from the same manufacturer and do not mix them up, else you will get a Christmas tree that looks a bit weird because it is different colors. Cool white lights tend to have a blue tint to them and warm white lights have a more yellow tint to them, so select whatever color white you prefer (Many designers prefer a warm white since it is close to the color of a candle flame).
If you have a traditional green Christmas tree, you should use lights with a green wire, and if you have a white Christmas tree, you should use lights with a white wire.
If you have older Christmas string lights, you might want to consider upgrading to the newer LED lights. Older Christmas lights were mostly made with incandescent bulbs, but most newer Christmas string lights are made with LED bulbs. The LED bulb lights use less electricity and you can string many more together than the older lights without worrying about overloading your circuit or causing a fire. LED Christmas string lights also tend to be more durable than the old glass incandescent ones that can easily break if you drop them on the ground or accidentally step on them. Incandescent bulbs also produce a bit of heat, which might not be desirable. The benefits of using incandescent string lights over LED lights is that they are usually a bit cheaper to buy and tend to produce a little bit brighter light than LEDs.
Make Sure They All Work
Before putting the lights on your Christmas tree, make sure that they are all working.
You may need a power strip if you need to plug in multiple strands and maybe an extension cord if your outlet is not near your Christmas tree.
A technology upgrade would be to get a power strip with a remote control #ad or a smart plug #ad that you can turn on and off with your smart speaker or phone so you don't have to crawl on the floor to plug in your Christmas lights.
Add the Lights
Now learn the designer way how to string lights on a Christmas tree.......
Lights should be added to your Christmas tree before any decorations are added.
Unplug every strand except the one you are starting to decorate with, then add the Christmas lights to your Christmas tree.
Instead of having a big long tail of Christmas lights that keeps getting tangled, create a ball of your Christmas light string to make decorating easier. Start at the end of the lights and wrap the lights into a ball that will allow you to hold all of the lights in your hand as you decorate and not get them tangled in the branches.
Keep the lights powered while putting them on your tree so you will immediately know if there is a problem so you can fix it.
You should add the Christmas lights starting from the bottom back of your Christmas tree going toward the trunk of the tree and back out towards the tip of each of the branches.
After each of the lowest branches are covered, move the lights up the trunk to the next level of branches and start again until you have reached the very top of your Christmas tree.
Do not simply go around the tree, else the inside will be dark like a black hole.
Check Your Progress & Keep Going
Designers always take a step back every few minutes to take a look at their progress and make sure they are getting the look that they desire. Check that you didn't accidentally skip a branch. Make sure that the strand of lights (or part of the strand) did not go out. Ensure that the base layer of lights look evenly distributed throughout your Christmas tree.
Do your best to hide the cords as much as possible.
If you need to run another strand from your power strip, run the strand up near the trunk of the tree, not along the tips of the branches.
When plugging in your Christmas lights, you can plug them into each other, string to string daisy chained, or you can plug each string into your power strip individually.
Be aware of how many strings of lights can be plugged in together. Often the newer LED string Christmas lights will allow many to be plugged in together while the older incandescent lights may only allow 2-4 strings to be daisy chained together, so make sure to follow your Christmas light manufacturer's directions to ensure a safe installation.
Add on to Your Base Layer of Lights with These Designer Tips, Tricks, & Secrets
The designer secret for making your Christmas tree lights look spectacular is to add special lights after your base layer of Christmas lights is complete.
You can add one of the options below or several of the options to customize your Christmas tree lights.
The first designer lighting option for additional Christmas lights is to add cluster string lights on top of your base layer of lights. Cluster string lights #ad are manufactured differently than regular string lights because the lights are much closer together. Think of these lights as a Christmas garland when putting them on your Christmas tree. A popular way of attaching them is in a barber pole method wrapped in a spiral around the outside of your tree. Cluster string lights are also a good choice for illuminating garlands so you can get many lights without a lot of wires.
Another designer option is you can add a bit of gentle twinkle (not harsh flashing) to your Christmas tree by adding 1-2 strands of 100 clear or white twinkling lights (no more than 2 strand for a tree under 10 foot tall or 3 if you have a tree that is at least 10 foot tall) wrapped throughout your Christmas tree (they can be a different color white than your basic string lights if you wish). You do not want to have lots of irritating flashing lights, just a slight twinkle effect. In order to get a gentle twinkling light effect, purchase Christmas lights labeled as "slow twinkle lights" #ad. Make sure that each strand runs from top to bottom so the twinkle is consistent throughout your Christmas tree.
The next designer option is to add 1 or 2 strands (maybe even more if you have a really tall Christmas tree) of 100 slightly larger bulb white or clear string lights #ad throughout the branches of your Christmas tree to add dimension and variety (C7, G30, and globe sizes work well). These lights give a dimension to your Christmas tree and add interest to your lighting display.
Designers also like to use technology to their advantage. For those who want to be able to easily change and customize the lighting on your Christmas tree depending on your mood or activity, feel free to use smart Christmas lights #ad. Newer smart Christmas lights link to an app on your phone and can do some amazing tricks. Some smart Christmas lights will sync to music and flash to the beat. They often offer millions of color variations and can put on a mesmerizing light show inside your home.
Christmas lights that look like candles are a popular addition when designers want to have their Christmas tree look either vintage or couture. Some people use individual battery powered candles #ad (either spread evenly throughout the tree or clustered for an asymmetrical artistic look) that are hung with fishing line to look like they are floating while others use candle shaped string lights #ad that plug in.
Some people love a very bright Christmas tree, especially designers. If you really want to light up your Christmas tree, feel free to add another set of basic string lights on top of the first set of basic string lights for extra light. You can use a different color white light for added dimension if you cover the entire Christmas tree in the new color. Feel free to add up to 5 strands of lights per foot height of tree if you really want your Christmas tree to glow and be the center of attention. Keep in mind that many of the lights will be covered with Christmas ornaments, so it will not be as bright once it is decorated.
The final designer secret is to move around the Christmas lights slightly after you have added your Christmas ornaments to light certain special ornaments from the front. Having all of your lights behind your special ornaments will not showcase them like a light from the top and another from the bottom in front of the ornament. Simply find the closest light and adjust it a bit to position it the way you like.
You might also like these articles....
How to Fluff an Artificial Christmas Tree into the Correct Shape
Different Ways to Attach Garland to a Staircase
How to Color Coordinate Your Gift Wrap with Your Christmas Tree
See the short video below for extra designer tips and tricks!
