The amount of Christmas lights you need to decorate your tree depends on a few things. First, it depends on the size of the tree. The bigger the tree, the more lights it will require.

The Real Simple recommends using 100 lights per every 1 foot of tree height. For example, if your tree is 6 feet tall, you would use about 600 lights for that tree. Another factor that affects the number of lights you need is how many strands you want to connect.

There are two options here: buy one long string of lights or purchase several shorter lengths to connect them. For a more professional appearance, you can use the Omi calculator. Professor Troy Henderson created a mathematical concept called the conical helix to calculate how many lights he will need for his tree.

Below is the calculator feel free to use it here or visit the official page.

Here’s What You Need For A 7ft Christmas Tree

A 7-foot Christmas tree will require approximately 6-7 (100) lights set. This is the average number of lights that are used on most 7-foot trees.

The number of light sets needed depends primarily on the size of your tree and how many branches are in it. The more branches there are, the more lights you’ll need to cover them all.

Taller trees require more lights than shorter ones because they have more branches.

Above is just an estimate; you can measure your tree’s bottom width and use the Omi calculator to determine the exact amount.

Hanging Too Many Lights On Your Tree

If you put too many lights on your Christmas tree, it can look tacky. You want to avoid this at all costs because it will take away from the beauty of your tree and ruin the ambiance you’re trying to create. Moreover, too many Christmas lights can also make the tree appear cluttered and weigh down the branches.

Lighting A Christmas Tree From The Bottom To The Top

There are two ways to hang Christmas lights. The first is to start with the top and work your way down. The second is to start from the bottom and work your way up.

Neither method is superior to the other, and there are advantages to both approaches.

Advantages of Starting at the Top

If you start by hanging your lights at the top of your tree, they’ll be more visible when lit up. This can be especially helpful if your tree isn’t as tall as you’d like it to be — so if you have a short tree, starting at the top may be your best option.

Another advantage of starting at the top is that it’s faster than working your way down by hand. If you have a lot of lights, this might make a difference in how long you take to finish decorating.

Pros of starting at the bottom:

It’s easier to hide your mistakes. If you start at the bottom and make a mistake, it’s not as noticeable because you’ll cover it up with more lights or decorations. Similarly, you can also fix any broken strands or bulbs while they’re still at the bottom of the tree.

It’s easier to see what you’re doing. When you start at the top of a tree, many people find they can’t see what they’re doing because their head is in the way.

Con of starting at the bottom

It’s hard to reach some of the lower branches on taller trees unless you’re pretty nimble or have someone else help by holding onto them for support while you work on putting up your lights.

Tips For Hanging Lights Like A Professional

There is no one way to hang light around a Christmas Tree, but this method works for me.

• Calculate how many lights you will need for your tree. You can use the Omi calculator or The Real Simple recommendation of using 100 lights per foot.
• Trim away any branches sticking out too far from the pole, as they will be difficult to fit your lights around.
• Once you have trimmed away these branches, it’s time to put on your lights. I find starting at the top is the best way. However, where to start hanging lights depends on your personal preference.
• Start at one end of the tree and wrap a string of lights around one branch. Make sure that each string of lights overlaps by about 6 inches so that you don’t have any bare spots in between strings.
• You should also be sure not to wrap them too tightly, as this can cause damage to your tree or break some of its branches.
• When you’ve wrapped all of your strings around one branch, loop them around another branch — but make sure that this new branch is higher than where you started so that your loop doesn’t fall off when it gets hung with ornaments.
• Continue doing this until there aren’t any more branches left for you to hang strings off of — then just hang up any leftover pieces on other parts of the tree.