Decorating Outdoor Trees Christmas Lights

Decorating outdoor trees for Christmas can be a daunting task, but with a little bit of creativity, you can make it fun again! Here are some creative ways to decorate your trees this Christmas.

1. Canopy Wrap Style

This is one of the more common ways to decorate trees: simply hang the lights on the outside branches. If you're able, try to walk around the tree and place the lights in a spiral. The more horizontal the spiral is, the better it will look, but you'll also need more lights. Don't make the Christmas light strings too tight, though, because the branches need room to sway in the wind.

Also, keep the spacing and overall density of the lights even throughout. One common mistake is to place too many lights at the top of the tree where it is often more skinny. If you can't walk around the tree unrestricted, light one side of the tree first, then the other, but make sure the sides overlap so that there are not any unsightly gaps in the Christmas lights. Either lighted strings or strings with replaceable LED bulbs will work for this style.

How to Canopy Wrap a Tree

2. Trunk Wrap and Branch Wrap Style

This method is a stunner! Start from the bottom and wrap mini-lights up the trunk and primary branches. Keep the spacing and light density consistent. Highlight the primary branches and "nice-looking" branches only. Avoid the outliers that make the tree look asymmetrical. By carefully selecting your branches, you can make an ugly tree look spectacular at night. For extra effect, make sure to finish each branch off with a "fork" by lighting up several smaller branches off of it. Otherwise, the branch will look more like a "chopstick", which you don't want.

How to Branch Wrap a Tree

3. Lighted Ornaments

Using ornaments loaded with mini-lights is sometimes a cost effective way of lighting really large trees. It's also a unique style that not a lot of people use. So if you want to turn some heads this Christmas, hanging lighted ornaments is a great way to do it! We recommend using an odd number of ornaments dispersed evenly in each tree.

4. Fountain Style

If you have a "weeping" tree like a weeping willow, you can hang the lights parallel to the branches. This style also works well in deciduous trees with long horizontal branches that are spaced far apart. Simply tie the lights at the top, and let them hang down. Again, this is a unique style and only works well with certain trees.

5. Snowfall Lights

Similar to ornaments, snowfall lights can be hung from branches throughout the trees. These give a dynamic look by simulating snow falling. The LEDs randomly drop down a tube of lights up to 36" long. Space these snowfall tubes evenly and randomly in the tree – the more you put in, the greater the effect!

6. Flood Lights

Flood lights are a great way to light up trees with very minimal labour. With our RGBW 36W and 54W flood lights, you can choose any color you like. These work very well in deciduous trees, but can also work on buildings. Each of the floods come with unique brackets that allow them to be affixed to tree branches, so you can install them throughout larger trees and control them with a remote from the ground.

Of course you can use combinations of these styles in trees as well. Get creative, have fun, and most importantly, stay safe when hanging the lights. If you're uneasy with heights and ladders, please hire a professional Christmas light installer. They'll often be able to hang lights better, faster, and more safely.

Professional Christmas Light Installer Equipment