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Christmas Trees

Artificial Christmas trees

The right artificial Christmas tree starts with a tape measure.

Measure the ceiling, measure the floor, then choose the lights and the branches. Here is how tall, how wide and how bright a tree should be, what makes one look real, and the topper and skirt that finish it.

Find your tree sizeCompare tree types

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An artificial Christmas tree decorated with red and gold ornaments in a living room with grey walls
  • 0112 in under the ceiling
  • 02100 lights per foot
  • 03PE tips look most real

Find your answer

Christmas trees by type, size and finish

Start with the question in front of you: which kind of tree, what size for your room, or what goes on top and underneath.

A Christmas tree lit with warm white lights behind a long-haired catArtificial trees by type
A small frosted bottle-brush tree in a holiday sceneSizes and shapes
A rustic burlap star tree topper with red berries on a Christmas treeToppers and skirts

Before you buy

Three questions to answer before you buy a tree

  1. 01

    How tall?

    Measure the ceiling and leave at least 12 inches above the tree, plus room for any topper. Under an 8-foot ceiling, that means a tree of about 6 to 7 feet.

    Tree height by ceiling height

  2. 02

    How wide?

    A full tree is about 55 to 65 percent as wide as it is tall. A 7-foot pencil tree is only about 19 to 23 inches across.

    Slim and pencil tree widths

  3. 03

    Which lights?

    About 100 lights per foot of height looks balanced, and up to 200 looks bright. LED strands use far less energy than incandescent.

    Pre-lit trees explained

Every guide

All our Christmas tree guides, by topic

Artificial Christmas trees by type

Pre-lit, flocked, realistic, colored, fiber optic and pop-up trees: what each type is and how to choose.

See the artificial trees guides

Christmas tree sizes and shapes

What height and width of tree fits your ceiling and floor, from tabletop trees to 12-foot trees, slim and pencil shapes included.

See the sizes and shapes guides

Christmas tree toppers and skirts

The star, angel or bow on top and the skirt underneath: sizes by tree height and how to secure a topper.

See the toppers and skirts guides

Realistic trees

What makes an artificial tree look real

Close view of an artificial Christmas tree with long needle-style tips, green baubles, a thin wire light string and a white toy dinosaur ornament

The branch tips. PE tips are molded from casts of real conifer branches, so they have the shape and thickness of real needles; PVC tips are flat strips cut from pressed sheets. Many trees mix the two to balance realism and price.

Fullness is the second clue: Balsam Hill says a 7.5-foot tree with 1,500 to 2,500 tips typically looks lush and natural. Then shape every branch, from the bottom section up.

PE vs PVC and tip counts

Trees

Pre-lit and flocked artificial trees

The 7.5-foot pre-lit tree suits a 9-foot ceiling with a modest topper; a flocked tree brings the look of fresh snow indoors.

7.5 ft pre-lit artificial trees

Shop 7.5 ft pre-lit artificial trees

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Flocked artificial Christmas trees

Shop flocked trees

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Before you buy an artificial Christmas tree

  • Measure the ceiling where the tree will stand and subtract at least 12 inches.
  • Measure the floor, and keep the tree at least 3 feet from fireplaces, radiators, space heaters and heat vents.
  • Look for a "Fire Resistant" label, which means harder to ignite, not fireproof.
  • Check the light count against the height: about 100 lights per foot.
  • Read the width on the product page before you choose a skirt.

How to measure for a tree

Colors and shapes

Flocked, colored and unusual Christmas trees

White-tipped flocked branches over a tabby catFlocked treesWhat flocking is, why it sheds at setup and how to care for it.
A white artificial Christmas tree with green and silver ornamentsWhite and colored treesLights and ornaments for a white tree, and where colored trees began.Photo: Jernej Furman / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
A Christmas tree lit with warm white lightsPre-lit Christmas treesHow many lights a tree needs, and the light colors to choose from.
Gold and white ornaments on fir branchesFiber optic and pop-up treesTrees lit from the base, and trees that fold into a box.

Small spaces

Small Christmas trees for desks, dorms and apartments

A small frosted bottle-brush tree beside a model house and a toy car carrying a tiny tree

Balsam Hill says trees of 18 inches to 2 feet are ideal for tables. A 3 to 4 foot tree fits a corner of a small room, and makers sell small trees with battery-operated LED lights for a shelf with no outlet nearby.

Keep ornaments small and light, and choose an 18-inch skirt for a tabletop tree.

Small and tabletop trees

Lights on a tree: four safety checks

  • Use only lights tested by a nationally recognized testing laboratory (CPSC).
  • Throw away strands with frayed or pinched wires (U.S. Fire Administration).
  • Read the maker's limit on how many strands to connect.
  • Turn the lights off when you go to bed or leave the house.

Pre-lit trees and their lights

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Christmas Trees is reader-supported. Some links on this page are affiliate links: when you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase through our links. Commissions never decide what we recommend or how we rank it. Listings and prices come from our partners and change often, so check the price, condition and seller on the retailer's page before you buy. Read how we make money.