Pre-Lit Christmas Trees: How Many Lights and Which Kind

A pre-lit Christmas tree has its lights already strung on the branches. Check the count first: about 100 lights per foot of height looks balanced, and up to 200 per foot looks bright, so a 7-foot tree carries 700 to 1,400 lights. Then choose the light color and bulb shape, and check how the maker handles a dead bulb.

How many lights a pre-lit tree needs

Light counts on a pre-lit tree scale with height. Balsam Hill’s rule is “100 lights for every foot of tree height for a balanced look,” and “for a more dramatic effect, you can double that amount.” King of Christmas uses the same 100 per foot for a soft glow and 150 to 200 per foot for a bright, layered look.

Read the count on the box against the height. A tree with fewer lights than the balanced figure will look sparse once it is decorated, and a tree well above it suits a room where the tree is the main light at night. The same counts apply to an unlit tree you light yourself, and a tall tree of 9 to 12 feet needs the most.

6 ft pre-lit Christmas trees

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LED or incandescent bulbs on a pre-lit tree

Pre-lit trees come with LED or incandescent bulbs, and when you choose a tree the bulb type matters less than the count and the color. Balsam Hill, citing the Department of Energy, says LEDs use about 75 percent less energy than incandescent lights and last about 25 times longer. King of Christmas lists warm white micro LEDs on its pre-lit trees, with multicolor on some models and eight light functions.

What matters more on a pre-lit tree is what happens when a bulb fails. Balsam Hill says all its pre-lit trees use commercial-grade lights, so the rest stay lit if one bulb burns out or is removed, and that some of its light types take spare bulbs while others cannot be replaced at the bulb level. Ask the same question of any tree you compare.

Clear, multicolor or color-changing lights

The color of a pre-lit tree’s lights is the next choice. Balsam Hill says its clear lights give the same warm, candle-like glow whether they are LED or incandescent, and describes its multicolor lights as rich, jewel-like colors. Some pre-lit trees switch between the two with a remote. A tree that glows without bulbs on the branches is a fiber optic tree.

7.5 ft pre-lit artificial Christmas trees

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Plugging in a pre-lit tree safely

Pre-lit tree sections plug into each other as you assemble them. Balsam Hill’s assembly steps match color-coded plugs from one section to the next. Check that every section lights before you shape the branches, and keep the tree plugged in while you shape it so a dead bulb shows up early. A flocked tree often comes pre-lit too, with flocking dusted over the bulbs, King of Christmas notes; the artificial Christmas tree guide covers every other choice.