How to Put Lights on a Christmas Tree
A magical display of twinkling lights inspires festive cheer in many of us, but how do you put lights on a christmas tree? Which lights should you use? Christmas tree lights are one of the most magical sights over the festive period, and we all want to have the perfect-looking tree. But how do you do it? This is a vital part of the decorating process for an unlit Christmas tree. You also want the best lights, and LED lights are now a must-have at Christmas, replacing the old tried and true incandescent bulbs. But what makes them so special? Read on to discover the benefits of LED Christmas tree lights and how to put lights on a Christmas tree for a magical look...

How to put lights on your Christmas tree

You want your Christmas to be merry and bright, so, that means getting your tree lights right. Hanging Christmas tree lights needn't be stressful, but there are important things to consider before you get your lights out of the box and onto the tree:
  • Decide on your look and theme
  • Remember your colour scheme
  • Your tree's position - is it near a socket?
  • Consider clipping your lights into place on the tree with small pegs
Read more: How to decorate your Christmas tree: top tips & step-by-step guide First things first, you need to consider the size of your Christmas tree...

How many lights for a Christmas tree?

This is a crucial matter for decorating your tree, you don't want a tree with too few lights and lacking in sparkle. A standard rule is 100-150 lights for every foot-and-a-half of tree, so, here's an easy guide for the most popular tree sizes: This is a guide, so you can go off every foot instead - the brighter, the better! For a more in-depth look at how many lights do you need for your Christmas tree, check out our guide. You can also use our Christmas tree decoration calculator if you need help working out how many lights and decorations you need.

How to hang lights on an artifiical Christmas Tree

There are four ways to put lights on your Christmas tree, and it usually depends where your lights start and end, as well as where your plug is. Each of these offers a different kind of Christmas tree light distribution.

How to arrange your Christmas tree lights from top to bottom:

This is an excellent method due to your plug socket usually being towards the bottom end of your tree. You simply start at the top and keep slaloming down your tree.
  1. As the name of this method suggests, you start at the top of the tree. Weave your lights around the top of the tree.
  2. Working your way down, start weaving your lights above and below the tree branches.
  3. As you're working your way down and around, place lights at the front and the back of the tree for depth.
  4. When you get to the bottom, hide lights you have left behind the tree, or move them up or make another pass.

How to arrange tree lights from bottom to top:

When you do it this way, it means you can plug your lights in first and not do it afterwards. This means it’s easy to see your Christmas tree lights as you go so you can distribute them properly.
  1. Starting at the bottom, wrap your lights around the branches.
  2. Zig-zag your way up the tree, working in sections. This will give you a better spread than looping around the whole tree.
  3. Once you’ve done with one section, move onto the next.
  4. When you reach the top, if your lights end, wrap them around the tree tip to reflect off a tree topper or else run them down the back of the tree.

How to hang Christmas tree lights horizontally:

This is the most common way for people to put up their Christmas tree lights. It’s the method that involves winding the long cable around the tree. You may not get the distribution that other methods offer, but it’s the simplest way to do it.
  1. Start at either the top or bottom of the tree.
  2. Start winding the light cable around the tree either anti-clockwise or clockwise, whichever you choose stick with that direction.
  3. Carefully position lights on the edges and deeper into the tree.
  4. On completion of one loop, raise the cable slightly and do another, until you’re done!
  5. If you’ve got too many lights left at the end, simpye keep looping to distribute them, or run them up or down the back of the tree.

How to hang your Christmas tree lights vertically:

This is one of the more modern ways to decorate your tree with lights. It involves starting at the top with the very end of your lights and zig zagging vertically.
  1. Start at the very top of the tree with the end of the light cable that doesn’t have the plug.
  2. Holding that at the top, lay the cable vertically down to the bottom.
  3. At the bottom, loop the lights around a lower branch and go back up to the top in a U shape.
  4. When you reach the top, do the same again, zig-zagging until you have nothing left.
Tip: Always plug your lights in and switch them on first, this will give you an idea of how they will look and interact with your other decorations.

What are LED lights and how do they work?

‘LED’ stands for ‘light emitting diode’, a technology that has been used for decades in things like digital clocks, television sets and even traffic lights. In a nutshell, and without getting too technical, they differ from older incandescent bulbs because they are ‘solid state devices’ that do not rely on heat to generate light, which can waste 90% of energy. This results in a number of benefits that can save money, help the environment and much more!

Top 5 benefits of using LED Christmas lights

Christmas tree decorated with LED lights

1. Longer lasting

If you are still using incandescent Christmas lights, we would bet your last mince pie that at least one bulb will blow out before Christmas Day! Unlike old fashioned bulbs, which rely on a fragile filament that is at high risk of breaking, LED lights are much more reliable. LEDs will last for around 4,000 hours, while incandescent bulbs last for just 2,000 hours. The parts used to create LED lights are much harder to break and are enclosed in a tough exterior, so you can pretty much guarantee they will last until Boxing Day and beyond.

2. Energy usage

One of the biggest benefits of LED lights is their low energy consumption. This is down to they way they produce light. LED Christmas lights are incredibly energy efficient, though if you want to go really green this Christmas, you can even buy solar powered Christmas string lights for both indoors and outdoors, so your display needn’t cost the earth. LED lights are also usually recyclable at your local recycling centre and do not use the same potentially toxic substances as older styles of filament lights, making them all-round more environmentally-friendly! Pictured: 500 LED Solar Powered String Lights (4 Colours)

3. Reduce Christmas spending

Energy bills can surge by up to £50 in December and LED lights can make sure that your Christmas decorations are not one of the biggest burdens, thanks to their low electricity consumption. You can also find LED lights with built-in timers, which switch off your lights for you incase you forget, meaning you won't find yourself accidentally running your energy bill up overnight. And, while they might have a slightly higher purchase price than the cheaper filament bulbs, you are almost sure to save money on your energy bills and for the future. The durability of LED Christmas lights means you probably won’t have to replace them for many Christmases to come!

4. Safety

Saving money is important over the festive season, but safety should be top of the agenda at Christmas. House fires are twice as likely to happen over the Christmas period, and old filament fairy lights are often the cause. Incandescent bulbs can become very hot due to the heat they produce, and, if a fault occurs, this could lead to a fire. LED lights stay relatively cool no matter how long you leave them on, making them a much safer option. The fire service advises that if you do have a real Christmas tree, you keep it well watered, and ensure you check your lights for faults regularly. LED lights are far less likely to see a fault, and paired with a fire retardant artificial Christmas tree, are an easy way to give yourself peace of mind against any accidents over Christmas.

5. More variety

LED lights weren’t immediately picked up as Christmas decorations due to their limited colours. Today, however, there are fantastic selections to choose from, putting filament fairy lights to shame! Unlike older styles of lights, which simply depended on a white light behind a coloured filter, LED Christmas string lights produce bright and vibrant colours. You can even get colour changing LED lights that flick between colours within one bulb, plus connectable Christmas lights, meaning you can string multiple pairs together without overloading your sockets. LED Christmas lights also come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, with an array of multi-function LED Christmas tree lights available - whether you want flashing, twinkling or ambient fades, you can get as creative as you wish!

Even more lights at Christmas Tree World

See our cluster Christmas lights, LED icicle Christmas lights and LED chaser lights for a few ideas. Our battery powered LED Christmas lights also mean that you aren’t limited to your light sockets anymore, so you can sprinkle some festive flair wherever you like! It doesn’t end with strings of lights either. Our artificial twig Christmas trees make a beautiful addition to your decorations with all the same benefits. If you want to avoid the fuss or stringing light on a tree, our artificial pre-lit Christmas trees come ready strung! Whether we have convinced you to upgrade or you have already seen the light, browse our full range today. With both indoor and outdoor Christmas tree lights, it’s a miracle we ever got by without the benefits of LED Christmas lights! Related: How to Decorate a Christmas Tree: Top Tips & Step-by-step Guide

We hope this helps your decorating, we're sure your tree will look amazing and bright this festive season!

If you'd like more tips this Christmas, read the Christmas Tree World blog.

You can browse our entire Christmas Tree World tree range here.