Make sure your tree shines the brightest this Christmas by placing your fairy lights in just the right place. Here are three tried and true methods
Here are the 3 best ways to hang Christmas tree lights
Fairy lights are the essential base element when it comes to dressing your Christmas tree. The traditional ‘wrap around in a spiral shape’ is a tried and true method, but it doesn’t give your lights the best chance of illumination. When they’re wrapped in this fashion they tend to be squeezed into the middle towards the trunk and get lost in the branches.
Here are three methods to help make the most of your lights. But before you begin, plug in your Christmas tree lights and check that all the bulbs are working (you don’t want to hang your lights and then realise half the bulbs are blown).
Vertical:
Instead of wrapping the lights horizontally around the tree, try draping the lights vertically. This layering method helps them to stand out more.
Start at the top of the tree and drape them down to the bottom and then up again. Alternate every second loop at different levels to help spread the lights around and to prevent clusters at either the top or the bottom.
Wrap individual branches:
This method is better suited to artificial trees, which have structured individual branches. Start with the lights at the bottom and work them back and forth around each branch (from the trunk to the end of the branch and back again) all the way around and gradually up the tree.
Because each branch is wrapped individually, when the lights are turned on the whole tree will glow. This is especially beneficial if your artificial tree is a bit sparse as all the lights will help to fill out some of the gaps.
Create three sections:
This method is for those who want their tree to buzz with fairy lights. You’ll need to divide the tree into three vertical, triangular sections. Each section will require at least a 100-light set. Weave the lights back and forth across the triangle section and repeat for the other two sections.
When you’re finished and all the lights are on, your tree will be the brightest in the street (with three sets of Christmas lights on it, it’s hard not to be).
Words by: Bea Taylor
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