Are the lights on a prelit Christmas tree important?
The brightness of the pre lit Christmas tree is a function of the milliamp (mA) rating of the bulb and how much electricity is pushed through the light string. A milliamp rating of 170 to 200mA is considered to be a high quality light bulb. As the mA rating of a mini light increases so does the cost of the prelit tree. The pre lighted Christmas trees from big box retailers use 100-120 milliamp lights. The light strings on these big box trees may look bright in the store but that is because the amount of electricity pushed through the lights is much higher than if 200mA lights were used. The result is that the lights do not last as long and the brightness fades.
Pre Lit Christmas Trees and Christmas Ornaments
Ask yourself the following question:
"When I look at a Christmas tree, do my eyes gaze upon the individual ornaments first or the overall Christmas tree?"
As silly as this question sounds, it is the core guide for purchasing a Christmas tree. If you are someone who collects ornaments and looks at the ornaments as your representation of Christmas, you want to consider trees with ample room for ornaments to hang freely. Most people with vast collections of ornate, large or dangly ornaments look to a more conservative, medium-to-dark shade of needle with clear lights. Artificial White Christmas trees work well for darker or vividly colored ornaments. Artificial Christmas trees with multi-colored lights are better for lighter colored, solid colored ornaments such as silver and gold.
Which Size of Tree Should I Buy?
Tree Height
To determine the maximum height of a tree for a room, subtract six inches from the ceiling height. This allows ample room for most tree toppers.
It is important to note that as the height of the tree grows, it costs more to decorate per foot. The reason being that as the height of the tree increases, the base width of the tree gets larger as well. Trees taller than 12-14 feet should be frame constructed rather than single pole. Click here to shop for artificial Pre Lit Christmas trees by height.
Tree Width
Christmas tree manufacturers name their trees Full, Medium, Slim, Slender, Pencil, etc. It is important to note that a full tree in one line may be similar in size to a medium tree in another line. The reason is that the designation of full, medium, etc, is in relation to the other trees in the same line, not an official industry standard. As a suggestion, use the ratio of height divided by width (HW) as a benchmark. Artificial Christmas trees with a HW of 1. 5 or lower are Full trees. Trees with a HW of 1. 5-2. 0 are Medium trees. Trees with a HW of 2. 1 or greater are Artificial Slim Christmas trees.
With the trend in home building to have tall, vaulted ceilings, many people want the tallest tree possible to accentuate the room. A challenge arises when people try to get the tallest tree with the narrowest base width. There are trees on the market with dimensions such as 12' in height and 52" in base diameter. A tree with this HW ratio is probably not the best choice as the main tree for a residential setting. A tree with this dimension is a great choice for a decorative, second tree. The reason is that the 12' height with 52" base diameter means the tree is 2. 57 times taller than it is wide. This is SKINNY. People are usually happier with a 9. 5' tree with a 52" base width.
What Should I Consider for an Outdoor Christmas Tree?
There are four considerations for outdoor artificial Christmas trees:
1) Are the Christmas lights designed for outside use?
2) Are the needles on the branches designed to be resistant to ultraviolet exposure which causes fading?
3) Is the frame of the tree designed to handle windy conditions?
4) Are the steel components of the tree sufficiently protected against rust?
What Should I Consider for a Commercial Christmas Tree?
It is doubly important that a commercial Christmas tree have UL Listing as many people are exposed to the pre lit tree in a commercial setting.
For indoor commercial Christmas trees, many people opt for single pole construction trees with a rolling tree stand. A rolling Christmas tree stand allows the tree to be easily moved after all of the ornaments are installed.
Contemporary or Traditional Christmas Tree?
A traditionally styled tree is symmetrically shaped like an upside down ice cream cone. The branches are dense and medium-to-dark green in color. An example of a beautiful traditional Christmas tree is the Tiffany Fir. A contemporary styled tree really opens up the world of creativity for Christmas decorating. Contemporary trees have unique colorations such as frosted tips or decorative additions such as pre-attached berries or pinecones. An example of a contemporary, Unique Christmas tree is the Black Christmas Tree. In addition, contemporary trees may have alternating clear and white frost lights providing a hint of frozen fog.
