When it comes time to decorate our Christmas tree with lights, I always mysteriously go missing. Along with a plate of cookies and a mug of eggnog. It’s my absolute least favorite part of decorating my Christmas tree. I don’t mind assembling it. I love putting ornaments up, I just hate stringing lights.

But I would never do without them. I love shopping for Christmas lights, they are one of my favorite holiday decorations! Lights are so important when it comes to making your tree look festive and bright, illuminating your other ornaments and decorations.

To help you find the right lights to illuminate your tree, this guide features in-depth reviews on the best indoor Christmas tree lights.

Backyard Boss The Best Indoor Christmas Lights In 2021

PRODUCT

FEATURES

Koopower 300 LED Indoor String Lights - $$title$$

Koopower 300 LED Indoor String Lights

  • 14-Month Warranty
  • 300 Lights
  • Warm White

Check The Price!

Everglow 100 Clear White Wire Lights - $$title$$

Everglow 100 Clear White Wire Lights

  • 100 Lights
  • Bright White

Check The Price!

Wintergreen Lighting Pinecone LED Christmas Lights - $$title$$

Wintergreen Lighting Pinecone LED Christmas Lights

  • 1-Year Warranty
  • 25 Lights
  • Warm White

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Holiday Wonderland's Mini Multi-Color Christmas Lights - $$title$$

Holiday Wonderland's Mini Multi-Color Christmas Lights

  • No Warranty
  • 300 Lights
  • Multi-Colored

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ALOVECO Colorful Globe LED String Lights - $$title$$

ALOVECO Colorful Globe LED String Lights

  • No Warranty
  • 50 Lights
  • Multi-Colored

Check The Price!

Why You Can Trust Us

To properly evaluate Christmas tree lights you need knowledge of both Christmas decorations and good lighting. Lucky for you, we at Backyard Boss happen to have expertise in both of those subject areas.

We have written up every guide you could possibly want for Christmas, including Christmas crafts, Christmas decorations, and of course, Christmas trees. We take Christmas very seriously, and by that I mean we love and are passionate about the holidays.

We also happen to be passionate about lighting. We have crafted guides on indoor grow lights, flashlights, floodlights, string lights, solar lights, and, of course, outdoor Christmas lights.

If you are looking for a Christmas and lighting authority, you’ve found your team. If you’re looking for a better one, you’ll probably have to check the North Pole.

Best Pre-Programmed LED Indoor Christmas Lights

Koopower 300 LED Indoor String Lights

    These wonderful warm, cozy lights feature 8 pre-programmed settings along with a timer function.

      Pros:

    • Timer function
    • Warm, cozy light
    • 8 pre-programmed light settings
      Cons:

    • Remote only works super close to the lights
    • Expensive

Why We Like It: Koopower provides powerful lights for a low price. These LED lights have 300 bulbs that emit a powerful yet cozy warm, yellow glow. The lights are small, so you can hide them within your tree, but because they are powerful you don’t have to worry about their light not being able to shine through.

If you are wary of powerful lights because you prefer more of a soft, yellow glow, fret not. These lights have a dimmer so you can easily control their brightness. There are 8 pre-programmed lighting settings, including some with flashing functions, so you can completely control your tree’s light show. The convenient wireless remote control makes these lights super simple to set up and use. However, the remote does need to be very close to the lights for it to work.

One of my favorite functions of these lights is this timer which you can set to have the lights on for 6 hours, and off for 18. Pairing the timer with their LED energy-efficient design will definitely save energy this holiday season.

Who Should Buy It: These lights are great for someone looking for a quality LED lights with a warm glow that they can easily customize.

Best No-Frills Incandescent Indoors Christmas Lights

Everglow 100 Clear White Wire Lights

    These traditional incandescent lights are inexpensive and emit a classically soft, warm white glow.

      Pros:

    • Traditional look
    • White wiring
    • Inexpensive
      Cons:

    • Short life-span
    • Not energy efficient

Why We Like It: If you love the look of traditional lights, then you will love these Everglow white wire lights. They are inexpensive, plug-in lights, that emit a low-key warm, white light from their incandescent bulbs. Although these are traditional lights, you don’t have to deal with the traditional problem of one light burning out and the rest going down with it. This light set even comes with some replacement bulbs in case any of them do burn out.

Each string is about 20 feet long, with 2 unlighted feet to reach the outlet. For a standard-sized tree, you’ll probably need to invest in at least a few sets. Luckily you can connect up to 5 with no problems. The white wire between them looks particularly good on white Christmas trees and flocked Christmas trees, but a little awkward on more darkly colored ones.

This light set is super simple, it comes with no newfangled fancy features, but that’s fine if you want a Christmas tree with a classic look.

Who Should Buy It: If you are looking for traditional and inexpensive lights, consider buying Everglow white wire lights.

Best Novelty LED Indoor Christmas Lights

Wintergreen Lighting Pinecone LED Christmas Lights

    These uniquely shaped pinecone lights will make an elegant statement on your Christmas tree.

      Pros:

    • Beautiful pinecone shape
    • Inexpensive
    • Extra-strength LED
      Cons:

    • Widely spaced out
    • Only 25 lights per a string

Why We Like It: For people who consider lights to be as important decorations as ornaments, you will love these uniquely beautiful pinecone lights! The way the light plays off their textured design is absolutely stunning, they are a show-stopping addition to any elegantly or classically decorate Christmas tree.

Because they have extra-strength LED blubs, these powerful lights emit strong, white light that will easily illuminate all of your favorite tree decorations. Of course, that power comes at a low cost, with an energy-efficient LED design. Each string has 25 LED mini lights that are spaced 8 inches apart.

Because they are spaced so far apart you will need to tightly wrap your tree with them to adequately cover it. In total the light string is 17 feet light with a 6 inch lead for plugging the lights into an outlet.

Who Should Buy It: These lights are perfect for people who want their lights to make a statement. They are inexpensive, but that price tag does show because they aren’t the absolute best quality.

Best Multi-Color LED Indoor Christmas Lights

Holiday Wonderland's Mini Multi-Color Christmas Lights

    These festive and fun multi-colored lights will brighten up your home and tree with hues of blue, red, purple, and green!

      Pros:

    • Brightly colored
    • Green wire
    • Inexpensive
      Cons:

    • Short lifespan

Who Should Buy It: What’s more fun and festive than a rainbow of colors on your tree? These vibrantly colored Christmas lights will brighten up your home and Christmas tree.

Each string has 150 LED lights, and you get 2 stings in each set. The strings are over 39 feet long and have end-to-end connectors so you can easily plug them together to cover your entire tree. Two boxes should be more than enough to cover an average-sized tree in color.

They are fairly inexpensive but do have a shorter lifespan than some other LED light options. The colors included are green, red, blue, and purple which look absolutely wonderful on traditional green trees. Additionally, the green wire that connects the bulbs makes this light set a wonderful fit for green trees.

Who Should Buy It: These lights are perfect for someone looking for colorful Christmas lights that don’t break the bank.

Best Customizable LED String Lights

ALOVECO Colorful Globe LED String Lights

    These otherworldly string lights are completely stunning and look amazing on small Christmas trees.

      Pros:

    • Unique ball design
    • Beautiful colors
    • Battery-powered
      Cons:

    • Short string

Why We Like It: If you want colorful lights that make a statement you will love this unusual colorful globe LED light. They have an otherworldly beauty to them that will really shine through on your Christmas tree.

Included are 40 LED ball lights on a 14.8-foot long string. The balls are durable and waterproof, with a remarkably long lifespan. With 8 lighting modes, you can completely customize your lighting display based on what you are using the balls for and what mood you are in. They also have an automatic timer so they will stay on for 6 hours and then turn off for 18 hours, saving energy.

These are battery-powered lights so you are in no way restricted in where you can put them. The remote is attached to the lights though, so you have to access that to futz around with their different modes.

Who Should Buy It: These lights aren’t super long, but they are so unique and beautiful they will make an impression despite their short string. Because of their smaller length, these are best for small Christmas trees.

Christmas Light Features

small christmas lights

Image Credits: Cole Ciarlello on Unsplash

Not all Christmas lights are created equal! Below I will illuminate a few notable features you should consider before purchasing your Christmas tree lights.

Color and Design

There are countless colors and designs to choose from for your Christmas tree lights! You could get big bulbs, small balls, pine-cone shaped, star-shaped, red, yellow, multi-colored, and so on. To decide what is right for your tree, consider what decorations you want to put on it, what your actual tree looks like, and what theme you are going for.

Length and Size

Christmas trees are like snowflakes, they come in countless shapes and sizes. Before buying your lights consider how big your tree is. You’ll want to have a long enough strand of lights so that it can completely wrap your tree-there is nothing worse than coming up short with your Christmas tree lights.

If you have a smaller tree, you’ll want to have mini lights so the bulbs don’t look awkward on, or overwhelm the tree.

Power Source

There are two power options for Christmas tree lights: you can either have lights that plug into an outlet or lights that are battery-powered. There are advantages to both.

Lights that are powered by an outlet are limited in where you can locate them. While battery-powered lights have more freedom in regard to placement, they do require you to change the batteries somewhat frequently depending on the quality of the lights.

Indoor/ Outdoor Use

Some Christmas lights are only suited for indoor use, others should solely be used outdoors, and others give you the best of both worlds. It’s becoming more and more common for lights to work both indoors and outdoors. This is an excellent option to look for, even if you originally only have one location in mind because having lights that work indoors and outdoors mitigates fire risk.

Types of Christmas Tree Lights

outdoor christmas lights and decorations

Image Credits: James Wheeler on Unsplash

Sorting through the various types of Christmas tree lights is as much of a headache as untangling your ball of tree lights at the beginning of the Christmas season. To help you figure out what works for you, below are some of the most common types of Christmas tree lights with descriptions.

Incandescent Christmas Lights

This traditional type of Christmas tree light emits a soft, warm glow. They contain a wire filament, that heats up to a certain temperature to produce light. One benefit of this kind of light is that they tend to be more low-cost when you initially buy them, however, they are much less energy efficient than LED and have a shorter lifespan.

LED White Christmas Lights

While incandescent is traditional, LED Christmas lights are the new girl on the block that everyone wants a piece of. These popular lights are easy to use, energy-efficient, and don’t produce a lot of heat. They also have a long light span and a bright glow.

LED lights are LEDing the way for other Christmas lights.

Colorful Christmas  Lights

If you want lights with a touch of festive fun, consider Christmas lights in a bright color, or even multi-colored Christmas lights. I love pairing colorful lights with unusually colored Christmas trees! Blues look otherworldly on white trees, red lights look intense on black trees, and purple lights look gorgeous on gold ones.

If you can’t decide which colored light you want, then don’t! Get multi-colored Christmas lights! These playful lights often have a color-changing feature embedded into them which will provide you with a light show on your tree.

Christmas Lights: Frequently Asked Questions

Christmas tree decorations

Image Credits: freestocks on Unsplash

Still, have a topic you need me to shed some light on? Below are the most frequently asked questions about indoor Christmas lights!

Can You Use Outdoor Lights on an Indoor Christmas Tree?

The answer is yes! To play it safe though, consider getting lights that are indoor/outdoor approved. Lights that work in both settings are becoming much more common, so they shouldn’t be hard to find.

It should be noted that you should absolutely never use indoor lights outdoors. They are not built to resist weather and moisture, so condensation can corrode them and cause an electrical short, which will damage the lights and could start a fire.

How Do I Use Less Energy With My Christmas Lights?

An excellent way to ensure that you use less energy with your lights is to buy lights with an automatic timer. That way even if you forget to turn your lights off when you aren’t using them, they will automatically turn off.

Another great way to save energy is by using LED lights instead of incandescent lights. They are much more energy-efficient, especially if you are decorating a big tree.

Are Battery-Powered Christmas Lights Any Good?

Any good? Any GOOD? Battery-powered lights aren’t just good, they’re great! I absolutely love battery-powered lights because of the freedom they give you where you can place your tree.

You don’t have to deal with putting it near an outlet, or bulky extension cords, and you get the same power that outlet lights have. You can get battery-powered mini lights, LED lights, candles, colored lights, and so on. They also work well for craft projects or decorating a spot that isn’t close to an outlet.

How Long Do Battery-Powered LED Christmas Lights Last?

How long your battery-powered lights will last really depends on the light’s quality. Their battery may last anywhere from 24 hours to 100 hours depending on the LED lights. Check your light’s information and packages to see how long they last. The only downside of battery-powered lights is that you do have to deal with replacing the batteries every now and then and have to be careful not to leave your tree on when no one is looking at it.

How Many Christmas Lights Do I Need for My Tree?

Generally, indoor Christmas trees need about 100 mini lights per vertical foot and a half. It’s always a good idea to buy too many lights rather than too few.

Strands that space out bulbs will provide you with more lighting for a lower cost, however, when the bulbs are spaced out a lot, with over 6 inches between them, you are going to want to tightly wrap your tree.

How to Light Your Christmas Tree?

Are you a circler, wrapper, or weaver?

The video below explains the different tree lighting techniques that you can use!

How We Picked

We picked these lights based on which ones were of the most quality, which had desirable features, and which represented different lighting types so we could have recommendations for every lighting need. We included low-cost, quality lights that wouldn’t break the bank, but also wouldn’t break down after a few months of use.

Most of the lights we included were LED since that is largely regarded as the best type of string lights, although we did include one incandescent option for people who like a more traditional lighting look. We also included festive, colorful lights for people looking to light up their Christmas tree in a unique way.

All of the lights on this list are the best in their individual categories and are some of the best lights that you can purchase online.

Conclusion

The best indoor Christmas lights you can buy online are the Koopower 300 LED Indoor String Lights! They outshined the competition because of their powerful LED capabilities, the gorgeous soft white light they emit, and the fantastic features they include, like 8 pre-programmed light settings and a timer function.

If you are looking for lights that are a little less fancy, more affordable, colorful, or incandescent, check out some of the other incredible options on this list. I hope you enjoy shopping for Christmas lights just as much as I do, especially now that you have this helpful buyer’s guide. If you found it informative, be sure to share it and comment below with any Christmas light questions!