??

[C.Ann]

 

[helenabear]

We always just start at the top and wind our way down around the tree to the bottom. No hints here though. I just put them on and adjust when I am done if it doesn't look right. I am lucky with one of my little trees I have had from college is so little that I just pack it away with the lights still on. The other tree isn't so bad since it is only 4 1/2 feet tall.

 

[missymouse3367]

I would love to have one of those trees that have the lights on them and just fold down. The see them on QVC. I think they are pretty expensive.

 

[nkjzmom]

We usually get a real tree...unless we're going out of town which is rare for Christmastime and I'm the light-putter-onner for our family....don't mind at all.

One major tip...whether your tree is real or fake....wear long sleeves and maybe even some gloves. My hands and arms always end up with tiny scrapes which sting like crazy!!!!!!

I probably go a little crazy tucking lights way into the middle of the tree and having them run out along the branches....I would happy just to have the tree with the lights on it. It's so pretty!!! Are you using colors or all whites?

 

[piratesmate]

We always have a live tree & like nkjzmom said - wear your gardening gloves! The other thing I do is to wear an OLD long-sleeved shirt - but one that hasn't shrunk so my wrists aren't exposed. (I tend to get sap on the sleeves.) The stinging isn't awful, just annoying.

We, too, start at the top & work our way down - in a Z-like pattern. (I don't advise a spiral around the tree - even if it stand so you can see all the way around. It makes getting them off really nasty.) We usually plug the lights in & string the tree while the lights are on - it gives you a better idea of what it looks like.

Try not to cross a strand already on the tree with the new ones you're putting on - even if you see a gap. This also makes removing the lights a real pain. It's better to shift the old lights instead.

We also lay an old sheet on the floor all the way around the tree to catch any loose needles - there are always new ones when putting on the lights.

Make sure you find out how many strings can be plugged together. When you come to the last one, you'll need to start the next string near the plug - even if you're at a different place on the tree.

Deb

 

[LuvN~Travel]

C. Ann, I found one nifty trick two years ago, and could've
kicked myself for not thinking of it earlier. String one side
of the tree first, don't go 'round and 'round, then string
the other side. When lit, you can't really tell the difference
if you have plenty of lights. I always get marked up since
my skin is so sensitive, and that way, I don't have to keep
throwing the lights over the tree when DH doesn't want
to help.
Good luck!
P.S. of course the niftiest thing was doing my Mom's tree
last year. My dad and brother bought her one of those that
turn on a motor, and since she had broken her foot, my sister
and I did her tree for her. What an EASY way to trim a tree.
Kim

 

[Bunchkin]

Before buying our pre-lit tree last year, we would hang lights top to bottom making sure to get the outer and inner branches.
The more lights the better in my opinion!!

 

[Mr.MouseFan]

I've got obsessive compulsive disorder when it comes to my christmas tree. We have a fake 7 1/2 footer and I usually take a couple of hours and wrap every individual branch with lights. Start from the back, wrap up to the tip, wrap back to the base and move to the next branch. I think last year there were 900 to 1000 lights in my tree. Throw is a few twinkle lights loosely thrown in and it truly looks spectacular.....time consuming but spectacular...LOL

 

[denisem]

Mr.Mouse-Fan illustrated the correct/proper way. Here's MY way:

Take 1 7-1/2 ft artificial tree. Do what he says. Find that some of the light strands (that worked fine when you tested 'em) go out when you finish trimming the tree.

Say "screw it". Stuff the unlit strands to the center of the tree and add more lights. (Hey! It makes the fake tree trunk look more "substantial"!) After xmas, take the entire lit tree to the basement and decide to mess with it next year. Make sure your husband trips over the trailing cord and puts a gouge in the wall while he does this.

Next year? Plug it in. See how many MORE light strands don't light. Shove them to the center of the tree. Add more.

Eventually you'll have more wiring than tree. Or sometimes those devil lights revitalize themselves and LIGHT the next year.

Have another glass of eggnog and start on your kitchen and bathroom trees.....(yes, I am a glutton for punishment...)

Denise < --- next lesson will be on "puttin up your Dept. 56 xmas village without losing your mind"

 

[Mr.MouseFan]

Originally posted by denisem


Eventually you'll have more wiring than tree.

LOL!

 

[olena]

With my short height, short arms and poor vision, I've found this technique to be the easiest for me. We have one of those artifical trees, where you stick the branches to the 'trunk' at different intervals. I put on the bottom row of branches and drape a layer of lights over it. I usually do an inner and outer circle. Then I lay the rest of the light strand down and attach the next layer of branches. Then I add the next layer of lights. I work my way up the tree...adding additional light strands as needed.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

C. Ann here are a few pointers I do.
1) Set up tree and "fluff". Bend brances so the tree looks natural, if it is a fake one. Wear gloves for this.
2) Make sure you leave enough room to plug them in. So here is what I do. I plug in lights and start decorating just to make sure I'm doing it right. I have mini lights so I leave them on when I decorate. Probably not a good idea but I do it anyway.
3) I work from the top down. I plug in light strand, string the strand up the tree to the top (near the trunk of the tree), then I proceed to go round. I try to hide the handi work near the trunk.

I have my mom and dads old tree and we used to get 3000+ lights on that tree. ME, no. I am satisfied with 1000 lights.

Good Luck!!!

 

[Serena]

I'll be doing my tree myself for the first time this year. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[snoopy]

I decorate a lot of trees for clients who are too busy to decorate, or too old, or whatever, so I have a lot of experience stringing Christmas tree lights. I would agree with what everyone said here, be sure to wear garden gloves - my hands and arms would be a mess if I didn't. The tree looks a lot better the more lights you put on it, and its best if you can evenly space the lights out. I plug in the light at the bottom of the tree, than start from the top, weaving in and out of the tree until I hit the bottom.

Sometimes it takes a few trys to actually get it right.

Good luck, C. Ann!

 

[d.kurz]

Here's my method, developed over time. Stand in one spot and get a string of lights and FILL that area inside and out with lights. When that area's done, move along. It makes it a WHOLE lot easier to get the lights off that way. There's no cris-crossing. We have a real tree 7 - 8 feet tall. I usually put about 1000 lights on it.

And here's my best tip: store your lights wrapped around paper towel rolls! Just make sure the plug end is the last part wrapped. No more tangles!

 

[C.Ann]

Thanks for all the helpful - and humorous - tips!!

 

[d.kurz]

Oh, C.Ann, I forgot to mention....at work we have bought numerous pre-lit trees over the years. It's a problem because after a year or two, often the lights don't work anymore. I would never purchase a pre-lit tree. I have 3 in the warehouse at work now that have light sets that are only partially functioning or not lit at all.

Good luck. If you lived near me, I'd come and help you!

 

[MerryPoppins]

My dad was really good at putting lights on the tree. Luckily, I helped him for several years before he died unexpectedly, so I know his technique. He was very good at it.

He would check the lights to see that they were working. Then he would stand by the tree. He would take ahold of the lights and poke them into the tree branches and back out, moving up and down the tree. He NEVER draped them, just poked them into the tree. That way the lights are deep inside the tree for the most part and you don't see the wires too much. He would just finish one area and move over a foot to do some more until the whole tree was covered.

We still use this technique for our tree. It is very professional looking. Oh, and it helps if someone stands behind you "feeding" the string of lights to you. The one drawback is that it takes a lot of lights.