Branching Out : Throw the Lights on If You Must, but the Ambitious Tree Trimmer Takes the Time to Get Them on Just So.
Do your Christmas trees look like they were decorated by Charlie Brown--especially compared to the dazzling ones in department stores?
The main difference between home and commercially decorated trees, say professional tree decorators, is the way their lights are attached.
Professionals each have their own methods, but there are specific things that most do or do not do. For instance, they don’t leave wires hanging from branches. They don’t cross a string of lights to a new branch without returning first to the tree trunk. They attach lights to a branch by looping the wire once around to hold the cord in place. They light the entire tree. They keep cords neatly aligned at the trunk.
The advantage of these methods is that the cord becomes almost invisible, and the tree is evenly lit. You don’t notice the lights themselves so much as the effect they create. And that’s what you want.
“From a decorator’s point of view, the tree is just a mannequin,” says Maryrose Goodwin, a representative of Barcana Trees who has strung thousands of lights and taught others her method in workshops. “The ornaments are the point. They’re the clothing. And the lights are just that--lights. They’re only there to illuminate the ornaments.”
One big disadvantage of this method is that it’s time-consuming. Another drawback is cost. Lighting each branch and attaching bulbs to the tree by their cords uses up light sets quickly. You’ll need at least nine sets, as an example, to illuminate a seven-foot tree.
If you’re up to the work and materials, here’s what you’ll need to get started:
* Mini-lights, at least one set (50 bulbs) for each foot of tree up to five feet, plus two sets per foot for each remaining foot up to seven feet; and three sets of lights per foot for each remaining foot up to 10 feet. For example, you’d need at least 12 sets for an eight-foot tree. Use mini-lights, not the larger C-7 or C-9 lights, for this method; Goodwin recommends never using C-7 or C-9 lights indoors.
* Several heavy-duty extension cords.
* A power strip (necessary if using more than 18 sets of lights and recommended as a surge protector in all cases).
A long-sleeved shirt to protect your arms and a pair of glasses to safeguard your eyes are also advised.
Additional items not absolutely essential but highly recommended, according to Goodwin, are a stack of holiday cassettes to pop in your stereo or Walkman and a Tom & Jerry or other favorite holiday beverage ready to sip during breaks.
To begin, plug the first set of lights into an extension cord. Secure the light set or the extension cord to the trunk of the tree near its base.
You can make a loop at the point on the string where the first bulb from the plug is located, and the bulb will hold the cord in place. Run the cord straight up the trunk to the top of the tree.
“Always work with a lighted line,” Goodwin advises. “You don’t want to wrap a whole section and then find the set doesn’t work.”
Pick a branch at the top and, starting from the trunk, weave the lights into the branch to within an inch or two of the tip. For the best effect, try to position each bulb so that it points upward and slightly outward. Secure the bulbs to the branch by looping the cord around itself--Goodwin likes to make a loop in the cord at each bulb.
After securing the string at the branch tip with a loop, turn around and weave back to the tree trunk. There, you can cross to the adjoining or opposite branch and continue weaving. Goodwin does all the branches on one level before moving down to the next level. Keep going until you run out of line; then begin a new line.
If you are using straight line, which has a plug at either end, you can plug the second light set into the end plug of the first set and keep going. Goodwin prefers working with add-on or stacked plugs, which have a plug at only one end.
“I prefer stacked plugs because if you start from the same place with each set, it’s a lot easier to keep track of them all,” Goodwin says. “It looks neater, too.”
With stacked-plug light sets, you will secure each succeeding set to the base of the tree, just as you did the first, and run the cord up the trunk of the tree to the point where you left off with the first set.
Check the manufacturer’s directions to be sure, but generally you can safely connect six strings of 50-light sets back-to-back. A caveat: Only plug together like sizes of light sets (such as 50 with 50) from the same manufacturer. When you begin wrapping your seventh light set, start a new column of plugs.
If you use an extension cord that has three outlets, you can attach up to three columns (or 18 light sets) to that cord. If you need more lights, use a second extension cord. If that’s the case, you’ll also need a power strip. You might want to use one anyway as a surge protector.
When you have the entire tree wrapped in lights, push all the cords running up the trunk as close to the trunk and out of sight as possible. Secure them together with wire or twists-ties.
And that’s it.
Sit back and relax--you’ve earned it. You may want to leave the fun part, putting on the ornaments, for another day.
If you use an artificial tree, says Goodwin, next year all you’ll have to do is the fun part. There’s no reason to unwrap the lights if the tree branches are permanently attached to the center pole. If the tree comes in two sections, leave a little slack cord between the top and bottom sections for packing purposes.
Panel type trees, in which several major sections hang from the top of a hollow-centered tree, can also be stored with wrapped lights, Goodwin says. Just wrap each panel separately.
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If the holidays wouldn’t be the same for you without a real tree, though, and you can’t see spending most of a day to light it for such a short period, just do it the same old Charlie Brown way you always have and don’t feel guilty about it, Goodwin says.
“People I visit during the holidays always seem apologetic about their trees because they know tree-trimming is part of my job, but I never look at other people’s efforts critically,” she says. “Perfection isn’t what Christmas is about.”
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How to String a Tree
Lighting a Christmas tree the way the pros do requires patience and lots of lights. In the end, the tree is evenly lit and there are no cords showing. Plan to use at least two strings of 50 lights per foot of tree height.
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1. With plug-in at the bottom, bring light string up along tree trunk to top of tree. You can use an extension cord starting part way up the trunk or at bottom of tree. You’ll be putting lights on the tree starting at the top and working down. Always plug in light sets before using to make sure they work.
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2. Weave light strings individually around branches, securing them in place at trunk and at end tip by wrapping the cord around itself. Start at center and work toward the branch ends, then double back to the center of tree.
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3. After you’ve finished a branch, complete the others in that row before moving down to next row. To keep cord from showing, don’t cross to a new branch unless you have returned to the tree trunk. Depending on light style, plug strings end-to-end or stack plugs together, keeping cords and plugs neatly arranged at trunk so they don’t show. For safety, don’t stack more than six sets of lights on a plug. When you reach the bottom of the tree, weave any extras into the lower branches.
Source: Barcana trees
