How to Light a Christmas Tree

When it comes to lighting a Christmas tree there are three basic camps: the circlers, the weavers and the wrappers.

The circler starts at the top and works their way down and around the tree. Don’t string together more than three strands of lights, so you can wrap series of strings. Keep circling the tree until you get the effect you want.

A weaver starts by dividing the tree visually into 3 or 4 triangles, then weaves strands of lights within the triangles. Pick a triangle, start at the top and weave back and forth, back and forth, filling in the space. Repeat with each triangle, until you fill the tree.

Wrapping is the most intricate technique, filling the whole Christmas tree with light. Starting at the bottom of the tree at the back of the branch, wrap the strand around the branch, working toward the front. Once you’ve got about 3 or 4 inches left to the tip, use one or two loose wraps to go back toward the tree trunk, then move on to another branch. Repeat until the tree is fully wrapped.

So how many lights is enough? Here’s a quick formula. Estimate 100 lights per foot-and-a-half of tree. So about 400 lights for a 6-foot tree. If you really love to light things up, double or even triple that formula.