With Christmas quickly approaching, you're naturally excited to take out your holiday decorations and get ready to put them all up. Wreaths, new tablecloths, festive figurines, candlesticks, and most importantly, the Christmas tree.
Regardless of the tree you use, no festivity is complete without Christmas tree lights! There are many ways to hang tree lights, but how you hang them can make or break your tree's appearance and charisma. So, what's the easiest way to hang tree lights that adds the most pizzazz to your home?
Should you hang the Christmas tree lights top to bottom or bottom to top? Or should you consider hanging them vertically or horizontally? Here's how to evaluate your space, vision, and the tree's location to hang your Christmas tree lights the easiest way possible.
What Not To Do When Hanging Tree Lights
Image credits: Tim Mossholder via Pexels
One of the most common mistakes people make is hanging tree lights without a clear idea of what to expect in the end. Sure, you can't visualize the end result 100 percent, but you should have a somewhat accurate vision of your desired outcome.
Without an initial idea, your Christmas lights will go over one another, creating a difficult-to-untangle mess. Tangled lights are messy and look unappealing. Moreover, it can create additional problems such as:
- Wasting time and energy trying to untangle the mess
- The wires may break during the untangling process
- A cluster of lights can cause the cable insulation to melt
So, Where Do You Start?
Image credits: Tim Mossholder via Pexels
First, measure the size of your tree. Knowing the size of your tree is important because it'll give you a clearer idea of how many lights and what length wire you need. There are a couple of ways to look at this:
- If you want a very bright tree, you can use 150 lights for every foot of your tree's height,
- For a bright tree, use 100 lights for every 1.5 feet of your tree's height,
- For a balanced tree, use 50 lights for each foot of your tree's height.
This all depends on your design preference. Most importantly, have fun while decorating!
Now that you've measured your tree and bought the lights, you'll need to test them to ensure they all work properly. First, unbox and untangle them, then connect them to a power outlet to see if they all work. There's nothing more infuriating than spending hours hanging tree lights only to find out one section doesn't work.
The other problem is the placement of your tree. Think about where you'll display the tree in your home but be cautious. If it's too close to a heat source you risk starting a fire. Ask yourself, is it close to a power outlet? If not, you'll need to get an extension cord and find ways to conceal them, so they don't stand out too much. Add area rugs or decorate the wire with fake vines or ribbons to make them look part of the festivities.
Lastly, you'll need to figure out how you want to hang your Christmas tree lights. There are several ways to go about this:
- Branch Wrapping
- Triangular Hanging
- Vertical Hanging
- Horizontal Hanging
4 Ways To Hang Christmas Tree Lights
Each of these has its pros and cons, which you'll learn below.
1. Branch Wrapping
Image credits: Debby Hudson via Unsplash
This is the most difficult of the four methods, but it's a head-turner that'll make your tree the focal point of your room. To do this method, start at the bottom and wrap the lights around each branch.
Work your way from the inner part to the outer part and all around the tree. With this method, you'll be able to conceal the cords and have an evenly lit tree, but branch wrapping is time-consuming. This choice will require more lights, regardless of the height of your tree.
2. Triangular Hanging
Image credits: Debby Hudson via Unsplash
Make three vertical triangular sections on your tree. If you need visual marking on your tree, stick red ribbons to make the vertical triangle shown above. Let the ribbons act as a boundary as you weave your lights within the triangle, from top to bottom.
Go back and forth from one side of the triangle to the other until your lights end. After you complete a section, gently remove the ribbon to unveil the end results. This method will help the tree shine and have symmetry. Be aware, you'll need multiple strings of lights and extra power outlets to complete this project, which will consume more electricity.
3. Vertical Hanging
Image credits: Debby Hudson via Unsplash
This is one of the easier ways of hanging your Christmas lights. Instead of the typical side-by-side stringing, hang your lights from top to bottom. This zig-zag motion is simple and elegant.
First, take the end of the strand (the one that doesn’t go into the electrical outlet) and connect it to the tree topper. Then as you start from the top, let the lights drape down.
Next, pull the strand of lights back up to the top, and repeat this until you are out of lights. Make sure to lay the lights at the tip of the branches -- This way, they'll be easily visible instead of hiding in the foliage. Moreover, leave a few inches between each row of lights, so they are evenly distributed.
This method is easy to hang up and remove at the end of the holiday season. There aren’t any major drawbacks to it.
4. Horizontal Hanging
Image credits: Debby Hudson via Unsplash
Here's a popular method to hanging Christmas tree lights.
Instead of randomly wrapping lights around the tree without much thought, try to do it tidily. Start at the top of the tree and wrap the lights over and under each tree branch while circling the tree.
For extra effect, mix things up by pushing some of the lights deeper inside the branch. This method is the fastest and easiest way to hang your Christmas lights. Although this method might take you dizzy, it's gorgeous!
Ready, Set, Glow!
The Christmas season is quickly approaching, and with it comes the pressure and fun of decorating your home! Perhaps the most important and visible part of it is your Christmas tree and lights. There are four ways to hang Christmas tree lights; you can pick the one that suits your tree and style.
As always, leave your experiences, thoughts, and questions in the comment section! And share with friends and family who might find this helpful.
Happy Gardening!