On our seven-foot spiral spruce, the built-in lights cost $207.72. The tree is $428.40 unlit and $636.12 with 400 warm white LEDs already fitted, which works out to about 52 cents a bulb. A pre-lit tree is an artificial spiral or cone with the light strings threaded through the branches at the factory, instead of wound around it afterward.
What the lights cost, exactly
| Seven-foot spiral spruce | Price |
|---|---|
| Unlit | $428.40 |
| With 400 warm white LEDs | $636.12 |
| Cost of the lights | $207.72, about 52 cents a bulb |
Built-in lights save you an afternoon on a ladder. Buying 400 outdoor-rated lights separately does not cost much. Winding them into an even spiral with no cord showing is fiddly and slow, and a badly wound spiral looks worse than no lights at all.
Both versions have 572 PVC tips, a 39 inch spread at the base and a wire stand. If you want the shape without the glow, buy the unlit tree and keep the $207.72.
What we carry
| Tree | Lights |
|---|---|
| Spiral spruce, 7 ft | 400 warm white LEDs, or unlit |
| Pyramid and ball pine, 5 ft, $504.20 | 200 warm white LEDs |
| Square pine cone, 6 ft, quoted | 245 warm white LEDs |
| Square pine cone, 6 ft, quoted | 250 clear mini lights |
That covers five to seven feet, the band that reads well at an entrance without swamping the doorway.
Where pre-lit trees go
Entrances, mostly. A lit pair either side of a door runs from Thanksgiving to New Year on one plug, then stands through the other months unlit.
Porches and patios, where there is no planting and nowhere to put any.
Lobbies and event rooms. Indoors they can run on a timer that nobody has to think about.
Power and weather: keep the joins dry
Check each listing for indoor or outdoor use before you plan a spot, and ask our team if it is not stated. Outdoors, water in a connection causes more trouble than rain on the tree.
Use a covered outdoor outlet. Keep plugs and joins off the ground, and lift any join that would otherwise sit in a puddle through February.
LEDs draw very little power, but read the rating printed on the strings before you run several trees from one outlet. Put them on a timer. Otherwise switching them on every evening becomes a chore that somebody forgets.
Wind is the main risk outdoors. A seven-foot tree acts like a sail. Weigh down the base or tie it back, especially on a hard surface where there is nothing to stake into.
Storing them, or not
Store them dry. If you bring them in, wipe them down, let them dry fully, and box them somewhere dry. Damp trapped in storage is the most common cause of failure, and it shows up at the connections rather than in the foliage.
Or leave them out. Some owners never store them and run the lights only in season. If that is your plan, buy a shape you actually like unlit, because for eight months of the year the shape is all you see.
Expect to repair or replace the light strings before the foliage wears out. Outdoors, artificial foliage ages with sunlight; what causes fading explains how.
Business installs are a different purchase
A hotel entrance, a store front or a town center needs sizes past the standard range, one timed circuit, and mounting that survives crowds rather than a garden. Those displays are built to order. Start in September, because a December display is decided long before December. The Christmas topiary page explains how ordering works.
Fire rating. The two six-foot square cones are made from an inherently fire-retardant PVC. The other pre-lit trees carry no fire rating, so if your venue needs one, raise it before you order.
Electrical. Anything hard-wired or run from a building circuit needs your electrician’s sign-off.
Quantity. Our team quotes multiples together, and the wholesale page is the way in for trade volumes. Lit animals rather than trees are in the lighted animal range.
Quick answers
Is a pre-lit tree worth it over adding your own lights?
On our seven-foot spiral, 400 built-in LEDs cost $207.72, about 52 cents a bulb. Outdoor strings cost little on their own, but winding 400 of them into an even spiral takes an afternoon on a ladder.
Can a pre-lit tree stay outside all year?
Only if its listing says it is suitable for outdoor use. Keep connections off the ground, weigh down the base against wind, and run the lights only in season.
What fails first on a pre-lit tree?
Usually the light strings. The foliage tends to outlast them.
Are pre-lit trees fire rated?
The two six-foot square cones are made from an inherently fire-retardant PVC. The others are not rated, so raise it before you order if your venue needs a rating.
Keep reading: how lighted topiary works and the pre-lit range.
