Fiber Optic and Pop-Up Christmas Trees Explained

A fiber optic Christmas tree lights up from one bulb in its base: thin fibers carry the light to the branch tips, and a turning color filter makes it shift. A pop-up tree is the opposite idea, a pre-lit, pre-decorated tree that folds into its box. Choose fiber optic for a glowing, color-changing tree, pop-up for a fast setup.

How a fiber optic Christmas tree works

A fiber optic Christmas tree carries light from its base to its branch tips through thin optical fibers. A U.S. patent for a fiber optic Christmas tree, US 5,820,248, published in 1998, shows the idea: a bulb “situated within the interior space of the base,” a reflector directing the light upward, and fiber optic cables running up the hollow trunk sections and out along each branch, ending in bundles that glow at the tips.

The patent also shows how the light is shared out. The trunk is built from hollow sections whose cables pass light to the cables of the next section up, and at each branch every cable “terminates in bundle 29 of thirty smaller fiber optic cables,” so one bulb lights many tips. In that design there are no bulbs on the branches at all, only the light source in the base.

Changing colors come from a filter. In the same patent, a translucent disk with colored sections sits between the bulb and the fibers, and a small motor turns it, so the colors at the tips shift over time. Balsam Hill describes its fiber optic light show as color-shifting light that moves across the tree, carried along fine fiber strands.

Fiber optic Christmas trees

Shop fiber optic trees→

Opens eBay in a new tab. Check condition, seller feedback and returns.

• Tabletop fiber optic treesBrowse →
• 6 ft fiber optic treesBrowse →

Buying a fiber optic Christmas tree

A fiber optic tree is bought for its light, so check the light source before anything else. Look for the color settings the maker lists, how the colors are controlled (foot pedal, remote or control box), and what the warranty says about the base light. Balsam Hill notes that its fiber optic light show cannot be replaced bulb by bulb, so a failed light source is a parts or warranty question, not a spare-bulb fix.

Ask how the tree is lit from the inside too. In the patented design, light passes from one trunk section to the next, so the sections have to be stacked fully and in order for the upper branches to glow (our reading of the patent); follow the maker’s assembly steps rather than forcing sections together.

Size a fiber optic tree like any other tree. For a desk or a shelf, read the tabletop tree guide for heights that fit a table. For a full-size tree with white or multicolor lights on every branch, a pre-lit tree is the usual choice.

What a pop-up Christmas tree is

A pop-up Christmas tree folds flat and opens in seconds. Nearly Natural, which makes them, describes “a collapsible, ready-to-display tree that expands into shape within seconds,” and says “most styles are pre-lit and include coordinated decorations such as ornaments and ribbons.” To set one up you assemble the stand, place the tree on it, then “pull the tree down from top to bottom, plug it in.”

After the holidays the tree rolls “right back up into their original boxed shape.” Nearly Natural sells them in height bands of 24 to 48 inches, 48 to 72 inches and 72 to 96 inches. A pop-up tree suits anyone short on time or storage space, at the cost of choosing your own ornaments: the decorations come with it.

Pop-up Christmas trees

Shop pop-up trees→

Opens eBay in a new tab. Check condition, seller feedback and returns.

• Pre-lit pop-up treesBrowse →

Pop-up tree finishes and storage

Pop-up trees come in more than one finish. Nearly Natural says some styles have flocking or tinsel, and that the tree should be kept in its box or a storage bag “in a cool, dry place” between seasons. Its range also includes a 34-inch spiral, a tree outline rather than a full cone.

Before you buy, check the decorations in the product photo are the ones you want for years, since they stay on the tree. If you would rather choose your own ornaments, a standard artificial Christmas tree gives you a blank tree; if your real limit is floor space, the slim and pencil tree guide compares narrow and flatback trees.