Artificial Christmas Trees and Lighting Safely

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Artificial Christmas Trees and Lighting Safely

Tip counts and realism, pre-lit trees, fire safety and storage

Artificial trees are compared on height and price, and the specification that actually predicts how one looks is the number of tips.

Tip count is the real measure

Tips are the individual branch ends. A sparse tree and a dense one of the same height can differ by thousands, and that density is what stops a tree looking cheap.

Compare tip counts at the same height rather than comparing prices, since it is the figure that drives cost.

Needle types

Moulded PE tips are shaped from real branches and look realistic close up. PVC needles are flatter and cheaper. Most good trees mix both, with PE on the outside where it shows.

Pre-lit trees

Convenient and they tie the lights to the tree's life. Check whether individual bulbs can be replaced, whether sections stay lit if one fails, and whether the lights are warm or cool white, since mixing is the commonest complaint.

Look for a transformer with the correct safety marking for your country.

Fire safety

Look for a fire-retardant rating on the tree. Keep it away from heaters, open fires and candles, and never drape fabric over lights.

Switch lights off at night and when leaving the house, check cables for damage before use each year, and do not connect more light sets together than the manufacturer permits.

Use indoor lights indoors only. Outdoor sets need the correct weatherproof rating and an outdoor socket protected by an RCD.

Shape and space

Measure the ceiling height and allow for the topper and the stand. Slim and half trees suit narrow rooms and hallways.

Decorating it

Lights first, working from the trunk outwards so the depth of the tree is lit rather than just the surface. Then larger baubles deep inside, then smaller ones on the outer tips.

Keep fragile and sentimental decorations above the reach of children and pets.

Cats, dogs and trees

Secure the tree so it cannot topple, keep cables out of reach since chewing them is a real risk, and avoid tinsel and small decorations that can be swallowed.

Real and artificial

A real tree smells right and drops needles, needs watering daily and is composted afterwards. An artificial tree is reused for years, which is what determines its environmental case — studies generally suggest around seven to ten years of use to break even against a real one.

Keep a real tree watered and away from heat sources, since a dried-out tree is genuinely flammable.

Storage

A proper bag or box, somewhere dry rather than a damp garage or a loft that gets extremely hot. Compressing branches carefully makes reassembly far quicker next year.

WHERE TO BUY

Ready to shop Christmas Tree World? Use the link below to visit the official store.

→ Shop Christmas Tree World — official site

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