With so many artificial Christmas trees available it is hard to know where to start. Looking at all the trees on the market there are flocked trees, snowy trees, realistic trees, pre-lit trees and unlit trees. Looking specifically at pre-lit artificial Christmas trees and unlit artificial Christmas trees we have looked into the benefits of each to help you make an informed decision on which tree is right for you.


"Pre-lit trees are almost ready to go straight out of the box..."

- White Stores


Pros and Cons!

If you’re someone who hates the hassle of untangling Christmas lights, then a pre-lit tree could be the way to go. Pre-lit trees are almost ready to go straight out of the box all you have to do is fluff the branches and plug in. However, the lights on a pre-lit tree cannot be moved and they often have less bulbs than if you added your own lights and you almost always only have the choice of one colour – white.

If you think decorating the tree yourself is part of the fun of Christmas, then an unlit tree is perfect for you. You can choose any colour or style of lights you like and place them on the tree how you prefer. However, this does require a lot more effort than a pre-lit tree and can be very time-consuming.

A pre-lit tree can work out to be much more cost-effective compared to buying a tree and lights separately. Artificial trees are designed to last for many years, however, on a pre-lit tree the lights may not last as long, in which case you could be left with a perfectly good tree that has dud lights which are often irreplaceable bulbs, meaning you would have to dress with separate lights anyway.


What Benefits You?

Should your choice in decorations change or you decide on a new theme from one year to the next, an unlit tree means you can easily swap your lights to match these new themes, a pre-lit tree means you may have to maintain the same colour themes until you opt for a new tree.

We’ve mentioned putting the lights on the tree but is there anything that makes you sadder and grumpier about January than when you have to take the lights off the tree once Christmas is over? With a pre-lit tree, you not only avoid the painstaking task of adding lights before you can decorate properly but you also avoid taking them off, simply unplug and put it back in the box.

But a pre-lit tree tends to be a lot heavier when compared with an unlit tree, so you may have difficulty getting the box back in the loft/on top of the wardrobe or wherever you store your tree.




Whichever you go for, pre-lit or unlit, there are some stunning artificial Christmas trees in either option, so you won’t be disappointed this Christmas.