How many lights do you need for your Christmas tree?

A question we often get asked is ‘How many lights do I need for my tree?’, and this really is a great question, because the amount of lights you use greatly effects the overall sparkle effect you get from your Christmas tree.

With the festive season about to jump into full swing, we have brought together a handy table to help you work out exactly how many lights you will need for your tree as well as other helpful tips and tricks for decorating your tree like a true professional.

When recommending how many lights you need for a tree, we always suggest 3 different options for the amount of LEDs you should use for the size of your tree:

1. A standard sparkle, which gives you a nice glow

2. An extra sparkle, with gives your tree that extra illumination

3. A super sparkle, which is perfect for anyone who is going all out with their decor

For example, if you have a 7 foot tree, for a standard sparkle we would suggest 400 LEDs, for an extra sparkle 500 LEDs and for a super sparkle 600 LEDs.

See the handy table below to find out how many LEDs you need for your size of tree.

Tree Size (ft)	Standard Sparkle	Extra Sparkle	Super Sparkle
3′	50	100	150
4′	100	150	200
5′	150	200	400
6′	250	400	500
7′	400	500	600
8′	500	600	800
9′	600	800	1000
10′	800	1000	1200
11′	1000	1200	1500
12′	1200	1500	1800
13′	1500	1800	2000
14′	1800	2000	2500
15′	2000	2500	3000
20′	2500	3000	3500
30′	3000	3500	4000
40′	3500	4000	4500
50′	4000	4500	5000

*Table is based on our Pro Series string lights.

So now you know how many lights you need for your tree, but where do you start when it comes to decorating? Well, being a Christmas company, we would like to think we know a thing or two about decorating Christmas trees.

Here are a few of our must-know tips & tricks you can use this festive season.

1. Invest in a high-quality artificial tree

It seems like a no-brainer, but investing in a high-quality artificial tree is a great choice for a stand-out festive display. Christmas trees made from high-quality materials offer durable and reliable base for lights and decorations.

You’ll find that high-quality trees are much more reliable so perfect for use year after year, all whilst maintaining its magnificent look.

All our Christmas trees are made to the highest quality, and inherently fire retardant so are a safe choice for your home.

Pre-lit Christmas trees are always a firm household favourite because it saves you time untangling all those fairy lights, however, a key benefit of buying an unlit tree is that you have the freedom to choose whatever style and length of lights you wish.

When it comes to size, 7ft Christmas trees are now the most popular choice, but you should always choose a tree that fits in your space and doesn’t leave it feeling too crowded. If you’re tight on space, we have some great slimline Christmas trees, which may be a better fit for you.

Top tip: To prevent wear and tear on your Christmas tree, consider purchasing a tree storage bag for safe, to protect your Christmas tree throughout the year. Storage bags also help keep your tree looking great for longer.

2. Fluff. Every. Single. Branch.

Arguably, this is THE most important tip of all. Fluffing the branches helps to make your Christmas tree look fuller and more natural.

This can be an extremely time-consuming job, but trust us, the end result is worth it. We recommend separating out each branch so they fan out to help cover as much area as possible. If you still have a gap, don’t hesitate to bend individual branches to fill in the space.

3. Start with your lights first

When decorating your tree always add the lights first – it is much more difficult to add the lights once you’ve added decorations such as baubles. Over the years, we’ve found it is best to view the plug as your starting point. Begin by wrapping your lights from the very base of your tree and working upwards going around each of the individual branches.

Weaving the lights to the tip of each branch will help give you the best evenly spread sparkle.

Our Home Range lights are a popular choice for indoor Christmas trees, use warm white for a festive glow or ice white for a wintery shine.

4. Choose a theme and design around it

Sticking to a theme will help keep your tree looking professional. We suggest choosing a colour palette, or decoration set that you love and designing your tree around it.

Some popular themes for 2022 are natural tones, a blue & gold colour scheme and, traditional festive brights.

Top tip: to decorate with ease, view your Christmas tree in sections: top, middle, and bottom. Style each section, starting from the top, and then work your way down to the bottom. All our artificial trees come in a handy three sections as standard making it easy to differentiate.

5. Use tree sprays, additional foliage and ribbon

Tree sprays such as branches, twigs and berries are a great way to complement the entire look of your tree. Grouping sprays together in any gaps is a terrific way to make your tree look fuller and add additional depth.

Sprays are also excellent for adding splashes of colour and decoration, not only to trees, but to your wreaths and garlands as well.

Another great idea, and extremely popular this year, is to add a garland to your tree. There’s definitely no set rules when adding garlands, but over the years we’ve found it’s easiest to start at the top of the tree and work your way down, keeping the distance between each strand of garland equal.

When you’re wrapping your garland, try to keep the garland loose so you can tuck it into the tree, we’ve discovered it’s best for the garland not to look tight around the tree.

A great alternative to adding a garland is to adorn your tree with ribbon. Use one type of ribbon or combine multiple of contrasting textures and different widths to create texture.

6. Have fun

The most important part when it comes to decorating your tree is to have fun. Bring loved ones together, stick on your favourite Christmas movie or festive music and simply enjoy the process.

As always we love to see your finished Christmas trees, don’t forget to tag us in any photos for a chance to be featured on our page. (Instagram @christmasdirect)