I can never contain my excitement for getting out the holiday decorations and I'm sure I do it earlier every year. Why waste time getting into the holiday spirit when you could make the most of your Christmas tree ideas for as long as possible?
As much as I adore the festive magic, however, there is one thing I dread every year: putting the lights on my tree. It's messy, it's arduous, and I was almost willing to give up and fork out on a pre-lit tree – until I tried TikTok's vertical tree lighting hack, and it just about changed my life. I love that you don't need to invest in a specific set of string lights to achieve this look (these warm white lights from Amazon are my favorite, and they're on sale right now).
My Christmas decorating ideas always begin with the best intentions, but I can feel the holiday spirit start to dissipate as I'm hopelessly attempting to untangle my lights; and all bets are off when I finally try to arrange them on my tree. I had no idea that the secret lies in lighting your tree from the bottom upwards, stringing your lights vertically, rather twisting them up and around your tree.
In the TikTok video I stumbled upon – which has had 1.8 million views – the creator, Liz Lovery, starts by hooking one end of her string lights onto the bottom branches of her Christmas tree. From here, she works vertically, reaching right up to the top of her tree and then back down again. This vertical lighting hack produces elegant, evenly-spaced sections of string lights, and the process looks practically fuss-free.
What really struck me about this method was just how little you need to move around to hang your lights up. I live in a small apartment, and repeatedly squeezing between my furniture and walls to decorate my tree is a real battle. A chic tabletop tree is best for small-space decorating, but the traditional look still gets my vote.
Instead, Liz stands in one spot for every section of lights, using a stool to help her reach the top branches. The vertical lighting hack means there's no need to walk in constant circles and feed the lights around your tree; and, as Liz proves, you end up with a far more uniform look that takes much less time to create. I'll never use any other method – I just wish I'd known about this one sooner.
Shop Christmas Tree String Lights
For a woodland-inspired alternative to classic string lights, try this beaded option. I'd finish off the tree with pinecones, glass ornaments, and red ribbons.
What's not to love about traditional string lights? Boasting nearly 11,000 five-star reviews, I'd say these are a failsafe option.
Why add a garland and a set of string lights when you could combine the two? I think these tinsel wrapped lights would look particularly magical draped vertically across a tree.
Multicolor string lights are guaranteed to dial up the Christmas magic, and I love this spherical set – they're playful and yet elegant.
Bring the outdoors in with these intricate pinecone lights. They make a wonderful finishing touch to a Christmas tree, but they would also look elegant weaved into a mantel garland.
If you want to save even more time, skip classic string lights and opt for this ready-made vertical set. Simply position the star on top of your tree and arrange the lines of lights so they hang down towards the floor.
Christmas trees might be magical, but they're not without their challenges. If you're looking for more nuggets of wisdom, check out our guide to how to care for a Christmas tree.
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