Many of us think putting up the Christmas tree is a challenge, but if you follow my steps, you'll find it fun and easy and something that the whole family can enjoy. 

Like anything else, decorating a Christmas tree does take time and patience.  It is a good weekend project that the whole family can get into and really have fun with. 

Live tree or artificial tree?

I recommend an artificial tree.  Artificial trees are much better than live trees and they are easier to work with.  With an artificial tree, you don't have dropping pine needles, tree-sap and having to crawl under the tree each day to water it, nor do artificial trees dry out.  You can keep an artificial tree up for as long as you want and it will look as green and fresh as the day it went up. 

Artificial trees also save you money in the long-run.  For example, a seven foot live tree will probably cost fifty dollars, and you only get one year's use out of the tree, so you have to spend the fifty dollars on a live tree year after year.  A seven foot artificial tree will probably $150, but you can use for twenty or thirty years, so the artificial tree can save you as much as nine hundred dollars over twenty years.  And with a little care, there is no limit to how long an artificial tree can last.  For example, I use my Grandfather's old Christmas tree.  It dates back to 1974 and is still going strong more than thirty years later.

PUTTING UP THE TREE

Assembling the Tree

Most artificial trees come in one of two types of construction, the hinged-construction method and the hook-on construction method.  The hinge construction version is one where the branches are already attached to the pole and you just have to hook the pieces of the pole together.  The hook-on construction type is the one where the pole fits into the base of the tree and then you hook the branches into the pole one by one.  Usually, the branches are color-coded, so you know where they belong in the tree.

Fluffing the Tree

To make sure that there are no gaps in the tree, fluff out each branch before you put it on the tree.  Branches on hinged-construction trees fall into place by themselves, but a little extra fluffing won't hurt.  The hook-on construction tree will require a fair amount of fluffing.  Make sure that each branch tip sticks out in a different direction, like an open hand.  This is an easy activity and the kids can help out with this.  Once you put the fluffed-out branches on the tree, it will have that full look and no gaps. 

Lighting the Tree

What kind of lights should I use?

C7 lights

I strongly recommend that you use the large traditional colored lights.  They are known as C7 lights.  They can be bought online or at large chain-department stores.  They are actually much better than the little twinkle lights.  The little lights do not last--you have to replace them about every year.  The C7 lights are long-lasting; I usually get ten or more years out of a set of C7 lights.  Also, the C7 lights come in parallel circuits, which means that if one goes out, the others stay lit.  In addition, C7 lights have clips molded onto the sockets, which you can clip onto the branches of the tree and they'll stay put.  The little lights slide around.  Also, the relatively large socket size makes strings of C7 lights relatively easy to untangle, much easier than the little lights to untangle.

With the C7 lights, you always feel like you have enough lights on your tree.  And with the C7 lights, less is more.  They also save energy.  For example, a six-foot tree will require 50 C7 lights.  They burn at 5 watts each, so that's 250 watts and your tree looks bright and cheerful.  By contrast, you would need at least 600 twinkle lights to make that same tree look well lit.  The twinkle lights burn at one watt each, so that's 600 watts.  You save energy with the C7 lights.

In addition, C7 lights give your tree that bright, cheerful look of Christmas and not the cold and sterile look of the little twinkle lights.

The type of C7 lights that I recommend using are the 'ceramic' lights, that is the ones that you cannot see through.  Ceramic lights are easy on the eyes and give off a warm, soft glow and not the harsh glare of the filament.  Never use ceramic and transparent C7 lights together; it's like wearing a tuxedo with tennis shoes and never mix C7 lights with twinkle lights on the same tree; they look awful together. 

As I've said before, C7 lights are relatively easy to find.  They can be bought at most chain-department stores and they can also be bought on the Internet and even from eBay.  The standard set of C7 lights has dark green sockets and wire and twenty-five or thirty lights that are red, blue, white, orange (or sometimes gold)and green.  But yellow C7 lights are not available in any stores, yet a tree without yellow lights is like a sandwich without bread.  Fortunately, yellow C7 lights are available at some online stores and are sometimes available on eBay and they can be added to existing light sets. 

See what a difference yellow makes!

How many lights should I use?

To figure out how many lights you need, multiple the tree's height, times its width, times 2. 

Height x Width x 2

For trees that are over eight feet tall, multiply the tree's height and width by 3. 

For example, I have a tree that is 6 feet tall and four feet wide.  I multiply 6 x 4 x 2.  The answer is 48.  I need forty eight lights for this tree.  Note:  if you can't get the exact number of lights you need, err on the side of getting too many.  For example, if your tree needs 48 lights, you should use 50 lights.

Putting on the Lights

The way I put lights on the tree may seem more time-consuming and complicated, but makes for a better-looking tree.  For starters, I store my bulbs separately from the sockets.  That way, when I put the sockets on the tree, there is no risk of any bulbs getting broken and I can put each bulb where I want it, so as to get a good distribution of colors.  My way of putting on lights involves these steps:

1. Walk around the tree and drape the strings of sockets on the tree.
2. Clip each socket to a branch.  This will anchor the lights and keep them in place. 

   

3. Make sure that the sockets are evenly spaced.  Don't let them clump up in some areas.
4. Go around the tree and screw each bulb into a socket.  This will allow for a good distribution of colors, that all your red lights don't clump up in one part of the tree and the blue lights clump up in another.  It also allows you to add bubble or novelty lights to your tree if you wish. 

Putting on the ornaments

You probably have your own ideas of what kind of ornaments to hang on your tree and a number of family ornaments that you always use.  By all means, you should use them.  However, if you are putting up more than one tree, you can have 'theme' trees.  For example, one of the trees that I put up has a 'retro' theme with glass ornaments and bubble lights and another tree has a 'folk' theme with wood ornaments.  Even if you're putting up more than one tree in your house, there should be one tree that is bigger than all the others and should be the focal point of all your Christmas decorating, and it should have an eclectic theme.  'Theme' trees work best with smaller trees.  Whatever theme you decide to give your tree, garlands and a tree-topper are a must.

Taking down the Tree

At the end of Christmas will be that sad chore of taking the tree down.  But it has to be done.  Again, there are some steps that can make taking the tree down easier and ways to protect your tree when it's in storage.  Basically, it's a reverse of all the steps I have given you in putting the tree up. 

• First, you'll need to take off all the ornaments. 
• Once you've taken off all the ornaments, unscrew all the lightbulbs from their sockets.  Store the bulbs separately from the sockets, in a plastic bag or the cardboard carton they came in.  Then, unclip and remove the strings of light sockets.  You can wrap them around a cardboard tube, to keep them from getting tangled, but with the large sockets of C7 lights, they are not that hard to untangle. 
• Then, you'll need to dis-assemble the tree.  Make sure that all the branches are grouped according to their color.  That will make for putting the tree up easier next year.

To insure that your tree will last longer, always store it in a location that is dry and does not get extremely hot or extremely cold.  In addition, you should store your tree in a large nylon bag and not the cardboard box it came in.  You can get special tree-storage bags at large hardware stores or from the Internet.  They do a great job of protecting the tree against dampness and extreme temperatures.  They are also large enough so that the tree does not crush. 

Putting up and trimming a Christmas tree can be a lot of fun.  With the right attitude and the suggestions that I have shared with you, tree trimming does not have to be a chore.  It can be a fun family activity.  With a little extra care and my proven steps, you too can create that Christmas tree that you've always dreamed of.  

Good luck and happy tree-trimming.