How to put christmas lights on tree?

Question

I need someone to explain to me how you put the lights on the tree by weeving them up and down the branch? Where do you start? I have been on web sites every where and they say to do this because it makes it glow from inside out and I have seen it done on pre lit trees. So can anyone explain this to me like your talking to a 5 year old? LOL

Answer 1

Many DIYs hard been electrocuted or broken some limbs trying
Easiest way out for me
I doused it with fuel at 11:59 pm
Throw a lighted match on it
At 12 midnight it gives me a splendid Christmas tree alight

Answer 2

here's the answer i've found, someone may have beaten me to it already though:

Instructions

STEP 1: Set up your tree in a tree stand.

STEP 2: Get out all your Christmas lights. Join the strings together and test the lights. Replace any dead or dying bulbs and make sure the cord isn't damaged.

STEP 3: Unplug the cord.

STEP 4: Climb on a chair or stepladder, if necessary, and attach the socket end of the cord to the top of the tree.

STEP 5: Walk around the tree, barely tucking the cord into the branches in a gradually lowering spiral. (Make sure the plug end will reach the electrical socket. You can use an extension cord if you need to.)

STEP 6: Step back and take a look: Are the rows basically even? Will the whole tree be lit? Make any necessary adjustments.

STEP 7: Climb back on the chair and repeat your spiral pattern, this time attaching the cord to the branches (if applicable). Tuck the cord in to hide it as much as possible.

Tips & Warnings
Always unplug the cord before messing with the lights. If the cord is damaged (chewed on by your brother's pet hamster, for example) replace it; frayed wires are a fire hazard.

Answer 3

Is this a natural tree or artificial tree?

Artificials are easier. Ours has branches that hook onto the "trunk." I group the branches by size (color label). I put the first layer on and lay two loops of light in a spiral on top of the branches. Then I add the next layer of branches, and the next layer of lights. Like making a layer cake. Cake/frosting/cake/frosting. etc.


This way I have lights in the center of the tree and a little further out, and I 'm not lascerating my hands putting them in the tree after the fact.

For naturals, I cheat. I get a long dowel, about 1/4 inch thick. I tape the plug to the tip of the dowel and gently feed the wire straight down the center of the tree from the top. Then climb down and pull it gently from the bottom. Then repeat with the other end of the wire, so I essentially have a long, upside down "U". Do this with 2 or 3 sets of lights, depending on the size of the tree and the effect you want. I go with fewer lights because I don't want jets landing in my living room. Then add a layer of lights around the outside, gently tucking them into the tree branches so that if you were to look at the tree from the top, the lights would be shaped like a daisy.

The other trick I've done is to try a color down the center. Like blue or red. It gives the tree a neat effect. Try more lights in the center and fewer on the outside. Also try clear bulbs on the inside, and frosted bulbs on the outside. It gives it a bit of a "starry sky" look. Allegedly, that's what inspired Martin Luther - stars in the sky as he looked through the trees...

Answer 4

I try to start as close to the main trunk as possible and then zig/zag the lights across the top of the branch working my way towards the tip and securing the lights just over the side tips. When I reach the tip, I pull the cord under and back to the next side branch as close to the trunk as possible and repeat.

Now sometimes i have the lights on the top but sometimes I reverse and light the underside of the branch, securing up over the tips. I work a section, not around. If anything, I work top to bottom.

I use mainly white lights, but at the end I'll come back with decorative lights, let's say the holly berry lights, rubberband three bulbs together to form a cluster and run this over the tree. Since the specialty lights are on short strings and I'm further shortening them by bunching. I just zig/zag over the tree often ignoring the back which isn't often seen.

Answer 5

Wow, I have a pre-lit artificial tree and I don't know who has the patience to weave the lights up and down every limb. It is incredible and I would never do this. When I decorate my xmas tree, I simple "spiral" the lights up the outside of the tree. Once the ornaments are on, the tree is lit up just a nicely as the artificial. I start the first strand by plugging it into the nearest outlet, then start at the base of the tree and spiraling up ward from there.

Answer 6

Actually, you can use what is called a man lift and operate from the street. Rent one that has a 120ft boom. It has stabilizers called outriggers on the side that supports the equipment so it will not tip over when the boom is extended all the way out. They are easy to operate and very inexpensive to rent. Some rental companies will even give instruction in proper driving techniques. They can be operated in a very tight space. Call a rental company and explain your situation and they can have a salesman come to your home to scope the area and see if it will operate within your space. It should easily. Of course they deliver and pick up. Cost about 80 dollars per day.

Answer 7

This is how I do my tree every year. I start with a tree that has spaces between the limbs, like a noble fir, rather than the typical cone-shaped tree. I keep my lights on a plastic reel or wrapped around a piece of heavy cardboard and unroll them as I go (rather than unwinding the whole string and trying to work with them like that).

I work with the lights plugged in to test them and to see how they look as I go so I know they're spaced evenly. So, I plug in the first strand of lights and lay the lights on top of the bottommost branch that's closest to the outlet, zigzagging toward the trunk. Loop the lights under some of the small branches just to hold them in place.

Once I get to the trunk, I zigzag out the next branch. When I get to the tip, I weave the string of lights under the branch for a short distance so I don't have the string hanging in midair, then jump over to the next branch and zigzag back to the trunk.

I go around the bottom layer of branches like that, then wrap around the exposed trunk and up to the next layer of branches. As I get to eye level on the tree, I put more lights on the bottom surface of the branches rather than on top.

When I get to the end of the strand of lights, I plug in the next strand and continue on up. Most brands of lights can be strung up to 3 in succession, but I buy the heavier duty ones that can be strung up to 6. That's usually enough to do the whole tree. I like the noble firs best because there's space between the branches for the ornaments to hang down, and the lights from the inside of the tree highlight them beautifully.