Pre Lit Trees

The great thing about pre lit trees is the amount of creativity that has gone to producing numerous designs.

You can choose whether you prefer a modern new lok or traditional looking pre lit tree. Non traditional ones explore creativity of the maker and come in numerous colors such as winter white, pink , red, purple, orange, black, blue, navy, silver, gold, lime green, natural looking green and varying shades of light and dark.

Traditional pre lit trees try to mimic the look of a natural and come in the various variaties found in natural trees including Balsam fir, Fraser fir, Douglas Fir and Scotch Pine.

Pre lit trees also come in various designs including LED trees, fiber optic trees, multi color trees, slim, flocked, designer and whether they are for indoor or outdoor usage. The more unique pre lit trees variety are not usually found in stores but on available only online.

WHAT SIZE PRE LIT TREE TO GET

Pre lit trees come in various sizes to suit any room from a small tabletop to a big 14 footer. So you should start with an idea of which room you are going to put the tree before you start shopping.

One approach is to measure the height and floor space in which you are thinking of putting the tree then look for a tree that is at least half foot shorter than the top of the ceiling. The other consideration is whether you want a slim tree or a full pre lit tree. If you like a full looking tree and have the space for it then you can follow the rule that the height of a tree should be twice its width. But if there is not much space in the room then you should consider getting a slim or so called pencil tree.

Even if you are very limited for space you can get a pre lit tabletop tree to give the Christmas spirit to the room.

PRE LIT TREE LIGHTS

Although pre lit trees come with lights you still need to be aware of various color choices available as well as safety, life-span and amount of concentration on the branches. The lights on a pre lit tree should be well attached and conform to UL rating for safety. When one bulb stops working or is extracted the rest should continue working.

The concentration of lights is a greater factor than the actual number. Aim for a ratio of about 80-100 lights for every foot for the best lighting effect. So a 6.5 foot pre lit tree should have between 520 and 650 lights but thinner trees can get away with fewer lights.

If you want a modern twist on lighting you should look at LED and fibre optic pre lit trees options.

PRE LIT TREE BRANCHES AND NEEDLES

The thing to look out for here is the mould and thickness of the branches and needles. Cheaper pre lit trees tend to have branches that are not well moulded and needles that are fewer in proportion to the tree. Traditional trees need to have a higher concentration of branches and needles in order to look natural.

PRE LIT TREES CONSTRUCTION

Pre lit trees normally come with hinged branch construction as opposed to the hook-in type. This makes pre lit trees very easy to put up since you just need to click a few pieces into place and fluff out the branches. Metal hinges cost a bit more but will obviously last a few more Christmases.

There are plastic and metal tree stands and centre poles. If the pre lit tree is large then a metal stand is better for sturdiness. Plastic stands are adequate, cheaper and still safe for smaller trees.

STORAGE OF PRE LIT TREES

It is worth to check what else is included in the box before buying. Useful free goodies include a Christmas storage bag to carefully house the pre lit tree when not in use. This can be better in space saving than the over sized box that tree came in and also offers option to suspend the tree in your chosen storage location.

PRICES OF PRE LIT TREES

Prices vary greatly depending on quality, size, style and how easy it is to construct. A high quality 6-9 foot pre lit tree can cost you between $250 and $500 whereas a smaller version can be as little as $100. This is small change when you consider that a good quality tree can last over ten years.

SETTING UP YOUR PRE LIT TREE

Most pre lit trees come in a boxed kit for easy assembly at home. The set up is very easy only requiring opening the stand frame, stacking the pole sections into each other, letting the branch stems fall into place, and plugging the lights into each other. The video explains correct set up.

You can top it off with your favorite Christmas tree ornaments by buying from such sources as Amazon or you can find out how to make your own ornaments.

You can consult google for “ideas to decorate a christmas tree” if you are unsure how to decorate your pre lit tree.