Pre-lit or bare branches
Most of the artificial Christmas trees here are pre-lit. The lights are wired into the branches at the factory, so there's nothing to string and no knot of cords to sort out in December.
Light counts grow with height. A 4 ft Virginia Fir carries 100 clear lights, a 7 ft Belgium Fir has 500 clear LEDs, and a 13 ft slim Green Mountain Pine runs 1,360 warm white LEDs. Clear LEDs look bright and crisp; warm white is closer to old incandescent bulbs.
Unlit trees cost less and leave the lighting to you, which suits anyone with a favorite set of colored strands.
Choosing a height and shape
Measure the ceiling first and leave room for a topper. Under a standard 8 ft ceiling, a 7 to 7.5 ft tree is the comfortable maximum. A 9 ft ceiling takes an 8 ft tree.
Width matters as much as height. Full trees need a clear corner or the middle of a large room. Slim and pencil trees keep the height but take a fraction of the floor, which is why they work in apartments, entryways and beside a fireplace.
For tables, mantels and porches, there are 18-inch tabletop trees and 3 ft trees in decorative planters.
Flocked, frosted or natural green
Flocked trees are coated in a white, snow-like finish that covers the branches, from a light dusting to a heavy snowfall look. Frosted and snow tip trees only whiten the end of each branch, so more green shows through.
Natural look trees mix needle types and add pine cones and berries, like the Montana Mixed Pine and the Rocky Mountain Spruce. If green isn't the plan, there are white, black and metallic trees too.
Handmade tinsel trees
The tinsel trees come from Lee Display, which builds each one by hand in the US. They're modeled on the vintage feather trees of the early 1900s, with layered tinsel in silver, black, pink and other colors.
The tinsel brush is flame resistant vinyl, and the branches fold up for storage. Trees under 4 ft include a wood base, which makes the 18-inch size an easy tabletop piece.
Shaping, decorating and storing
Branch counts run from about 200 on small trees to nearly 4,000 tips on the largest. More tips mean a fuller tree and more places to hang things. Fluff each branch outward from the trunk, starting with the bottom section.
Once it's shaped, add the Christmas ornaments and finish the room with matching garlands and wreaths. For a porch or window, our Edison bulbs and string lights add extra glow, and the full range of seasonal decor covers the rest of the year.
After the holidays, fold the branches in and store each section in a box or tree bag away from heat.
