how do you get the lights evenly on the tree?

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

I am sitting here looking at our tree and its shambolic. There are spaces with no lights and bits with too many.

How do you all do it? I took my time and really tried this year and still its uneven.

[falalalalagirl]

Big string of lights and a teeny-tiny twig tree (approx one metre tall).

[zenaprincesswarrior]

Another squinter!! I was told if you squint your eyes and you should see the shape of a Christmas Tree

[choccyp1g]

I've not put my tree up yet, and I think I have had an inspiration. It's a fake tree that you build from the bottom up; would it work to put the lights in between each layer of tree, as I am building it up?

[PPT]

Squint!

[Longtime]

A tip. Make sure your lights are working BEFORE you put them on the tree. A fellow mumsnetter put hers on (loads of them) the tree only to find they didn't work!

[Some0ne]

We have 512 lights. There are no gaps there's barely any tree visible between the lights

[BeaLola]

DH& I discuss disagree every year when doing the lights. We did them last night & he moaned nicely & threatened to get a fake pre-lit one for next year rather than the lovely real one we have, althoughI would agree getting more & more expensive.

We turn lights on first to make sure working (!) & then leave on whilst we put on tree - we have 2 sets of 400 micro white lights on it & it looks gorgeous. We tend to start at top & go round & do the same with the second set & it looks pretty even - tend to stand back & squint too.

[gazzalw]

We've decided not to put on tinsel this year and I could instantly see huge gaps in the lighting. Think we will have to get some more lights...

[chocolateicecream]

I used to spend hours getting it all to look perfect, nowadays the children come along and blitz it!

[marriednotdead]

Another squinter here

I kind of swag the lights from side to side so that they almost meet at the back but I don't have to get stuck go behind it.

[Phoebe47]

I don't! DH does it with a bit of help from DD2.

[JumeirahJane]

DH and DD got the Christmas box out whilst I was enjoying a lie-in, so I didn't really have much of a say. The lights are nearly even, bless them, and there's an unsightly big sparkly cluster of green baubles just at DD's armsreach, but as long as they are happy, there's no fallout

[ParceQueJeLeVauxBien]

You marry a man who has OCD tendencies and leave him to spend hours moving the wires around until he's happy.

[HoldMeCloserTonyDanza]

I just upon absolutely loads. They are very soft white lights so there sort of needs to be loads to get maximum sparkle.

[VoterColonelSebastianDoyle]

Dont go around the tree if its up against a wall you can get away with just putting them on the front. Start at the top and go in an s shape down to the bottom missing out the back. My mum does this and it looks fab. Obviously if you can see the back this is no help at all to you!

[CiderwithBuda]

Up and down is apparently the way to go rather than round and round. At least that is how they do the tree at the Rockerfeller Centre in New York. According to a pic on Pinterest.

[twolittledarlings]

We have quite a big tall tree. I use four sets of 400 lights. I turn the lights on before putting them on the tree so I can see which bits have been missed. For the top, I go round and round and for the bottom, I do one set at the front and another set at the back and just one set for the middle part. I try to put the lights a few stems in and wound them round the stems so there are some lights in the middle too. I love loads of lights as near Xmas, I love sitting indoors just with the lights and tv on. It's so relaxing.

[ChristmasFairyLights]

Put on twice as many as you think you'll need! The lights are the most important bit. We always have a massive tree but millions of lights (4 strings of 160 I think) You really can't have too many lights.

Possibly I am slightly obsessive

[BlissfullyIgnorant]

CherryMonster, me too! Saves hours, especially when DC are champing at the bit to put the other tat on! Very worth the cost.

Before my miracle tree, I would put the lights on starting with the last light before the plug, going in a spiral around the tree occasionally singing 'Here we go round the mulberry bush,' (but only when alone) in an upwards direction. Then, I'd switch the tree lights on and the wall lights off and faff around for about an hour until I was happy with it - only then were the DC allowed to start hanging bits. After they'd done their thing I would get them to bed, wait an hour or so for them to get to sleep then re-hang everything.

These days I just say ' there's the boxes of stuff, away you go.

[QueenMaeve]

Jeepers I do the squinty thing too I just realised. I am lol at the thought of all you squinting at your trees!

[PrimeSuspect]

Start at the top and then go around until I reach the bottom. Then readjust pretty much every day until I am happy with them! Can't wait to get our tree...

[VforViennetta]

I do the squinty thing too, I don't think there are ever too many lights on a tree, I have 2 sets, usually start at the top and do zig zag, then zig zag the other way with the other set. Although you can always just chuck more lights on to it.

Ours always looks quite nice in the end, once all the beads and tinsel and crap are on it. It's always slightly wonky regarding lights, but after about 24 hours you get used to it and stop wanting to adjust.

[janji]

I HATE putting lights on the tree, they always seem uneven and I spend the time between Christmas and the tree coming down constantly adjusting them (& dislodging all carefully placed ornaments in the process)!! Hence why my tree usually doesn't go up until a few days until before Christmas!

[LittleBearPad]

I sort of close my eyes and squint at the tree. It means you see the lights and whether they look even but don't really see the actual tree - just the overall shape. Does this make any sense

[CherryMonster]

i bought a tree which already had lights on it