First, What Not to Do:
Many times, people make the mistake of putting their lights on the Christmas tree haphazardly, crossing strands to form a wire net that’s nearly impossible to remove. Fortunately, there are a few strategies to try to make your Christmas lights easy to put up—and take down. Whether you decide to hang your lights horizontally as we prefer, or vertically which also has its perks, use these tips from floral design expert Michael Walter to become a Christmas tree decorating pro.
What You’ll Need:
Christmas lights, of course! Start by figuring out how many lights you need for your Christmas tree. A good rule is to average 100 lights for every foot of the tree, but you can add more lights (or use fewer) as you prefer.
How to Hang Christmas Tree Lights
Best Way to Hang Vertical Christmas Tree Lights
While hanging tree lights horizontally is most common, many top decorating experts recommend installing your lights from the bottom to the top. “The trick is to go up and down, not around and around,” says David Stark, co-owner of Avi Adler, a Brooklyn floral and event design company. Need more proof that this tactic is the way to go? Decorators at New York City’s Rockefeller Center (who would know how to light a tree better?) use a trunk-to-tip method to create “not just a shell of light but an inner glow and a three-dimensionality that cannot be achieved any other way,” says David Murbach, the manager of the center’s gardens division. To follow this tree lighting technique, divide the tree vertically into three sections (think trunk to tip) and string the lights by section. Beginning at the bottom, weave each string in and out of the branches, to the top of the tree and back.
