Lighting Christmas Trees with Miniature Light Strands


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Christmas trees have used some sort of lighting since the earliest days. (See our article on the History of Christmas Tree Lighting for more information.) I grew up using mostly C-7 lights (with screw-in bulbs), but our family trees

usually use lighting strands of miniature incandescent bulbs so we'll talk briefly about how we use these on our "main" household tree.

Compared to C-7 (or C-6 or C-9) bulbs, miniature light strands have the advantage of providing a more "sparkly" overall effect and of being much cooler, so they provide significantly lower risk of setting your tree on fire.

LED Christmas light strands are also growing in popularity, but the first-generation "white" LED strands have a bluish tinge that seems more harsh than festive. (In late 2008, several companies advertised "warm white" LED strands that are supposed to be closer to the color of incandescents, so you might look for those next time you're shopping for Christmas lights.) If you like multicolored lights on your tree, you may actually prefer the richness of LED colors once you get used to them, but try to buy strands without "white" lights, which you may find glaring.

That said, most of this article will apply whether you're using miniature incandescents or LED strands, although I plan to use incandescents for our family tree at least another year or two.

For the last several years, I have been using the miniature lights that come 100 to a strand. (A 100-light strand is actually two 5-light strands, as you'll figure out when half of the strand goes out some day and the other half stays lit.) 250 lights will "do" for our 7-foot tree, but 300 gives me a little extra "margin." Of course you'll have to make some adjustments for your own tree. For example:

If you have a real Scotch pine you may need more lights, because the tree is fatter.
In 2008 most LED strands have 60 lights (instead of 100), so if you're going with LEDs adjust your number of strands accordingly.

After several years of using 7'-8' cut Frazier firs, we are now using a 7' artificial fir tree. After the tree is set up and fluffed, I wrap each strand gently around and around the tree. I "weave" the cord into and among the branch tips so that the strand rests easily on and between the branches without being so tight that it affects the tree's shape or so loose that bumping it will cause it to fall down to the next ring of branches.

I also try to keep the cord, about 4" "inside" the outer tips, although that's not possible on every branch. But it helps keep the cord from being too obvious. And the lights are still visible when the tree is lit.

The overall effect doesn't depend on being able to see EVERY light as much as it depends on the general impression and the warm glow created by 300 tiny points of light. The photo at the right shows the "middle third" of our family Christmas tree in 2008, to give you an idea of how the cords "fade into the background" when the ornaments are on and the tree is lit. You can click on that photo for a blow-up, or click on the title photo for another view of the same tree.

Other Trees, Other Formats

On our other, smaller, specialty trees, I like to use a different bulb shapes, although the light strands still use the same technology as the miniature strands on our main tree.

On our 6' skinny twig tree (not shown in this article), which holds only old-fashioned ornaments, I've been using "teardrop"-shaped bulbs, which I got at Target about 2004. One of our three 25-bulb strands has given out, however. In 2008, I used two strands, which seemed to be enough. When we get down to one good strand of these, I'll find something else to use on this tree. Target makes "globe," "button," and "pearl" sets that would be worth considering, and I already have a "button" set in reserve.
On our 3' "snowman" tree (shown to the right), we use a single 25-light strand of star-shaped bulbs. Again, when this strand goes bad, it won't be difficult to find another unusual 25-light strand of some sort.

A Note About Prelit Trees

For years, I avoided prelit trees. If you look closely, most of them use the same quality lamps, sockets, and strands, as the miniature lamp Christmas strands they sell in grocery and department stores each fall. I was always afraid that one light strand would go out and I would have to rewire the thing anyway. Yes, the ads and packaging for these things always say "If one bulb burns out, the rest stay lit." But so do the ads and packaging for the light strands I have to replace every couple of years because they stop working, and I couldn't get them working again, even by swapping out every bulb in the strand.

In the fall of 2007, I bought two prelit "entryway" trees for our front porch. The little "pots" that came with them weren't sufficient to hold them down, so I "buried" the pots in two larger planting urns that I usually fill with geraniums or something, then dumped in gravel to hold them in place. They looked great the first year. The photo at the right shows how they looked by December 20th of the second year (and yes, I've tried to figure out which bulb is causing the problem).

Nowadays Philips is advertising pre-lit trees on which the strands are supposed to stay lit even if a bulb burns out, comes loose, or is broken. These might be more worthwhile. I'd be even more tempted if they made an affordable, high-quality pre-lit Christmas tree that used replaceable LEDs (as opposed to LEDs that are hardwired to the strand). But in the meantime, I'll stick with separate lighting strands for most purposes. For more information on LEDs and other Christmas tree lighting options, check out our article "A Brief History of Christmas Tree Lighting."

Conclusion

As LED strands become more affordable, I expect the "miniature" lights to fade to obscurity. Also, I would expect LED strands to include more variety in shape and color. For example, we might see C-7-shaped LEDs that imitate the ceramic finish, as well as the overall shape of the old C-7 incandescent bulbs. Or lights shaped like ANYTHING. However the principles of electronics and the principles of design will still hold, as you make choices that are appropriate for your lifestyle and your tree.

At the end of 2008, I bought several different kind of LED strands, so I will report on them as I get a chance to use them in 2009, so check back.

As we come across more information in the future, we'll add it, but in the meantime, we wanted to get you thinking about how to safely provide a little more "brightness" in your life this season.

We are especially hoping that this article helps you have a happy and safe holiday season.

Please contact us with any questions, corrections, additions, photographs, article suggestions, or any other suggestions at all.

And have a great family Christmas,

Paul and Shelia Race

www.familychristmasonline.com

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