Light Calculating

How do I calculate how many lights I need for my tree? 

There is no clear-cut method to calculate how many lights are required to light your tree.  A good starting point is to use 100 lights per vertical foot of your tree.  Depending on the fullness of your tree you may want to add more lights.  Slender trees will require the least and full trees may require up to 50% more lights. The other consideration in determining the number of lights needed for your tree is the type of bulb used.  Lighting your tree with mini lights requires using more lights versus using the larger C7 or C9 bulbs.

Refer to the chart below for populating your outside tree with lights.  Depending on the time of year and whether or not there are leaves will determine if you need to use more or less lights on your tree.  A tree with no leaves requires less light.  A bare tree will allow lights to show through from the opposite side giving the appearance of more lights on the tree.

Will your Christmas tree be lighting up the room or will it be less dominant and be sparsely lit?  A Christmas tree in a corner may require fewer lights on the backside where the lights will not be seen.  There is no right or wrong number of lights to put on your tree; it really depends on your personal taste.