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Fiber Optic Christmas Trees Tips
Withered Fiber Optic Christmas Trees
If you are looking for yet another unique fiber optic tree to adorn your home this Christmas, perhaps you should consider a withered stick fiber optic Christmas tree this season.
This cool tree is different than any other fiber optic Christmas tree in that it has the appearance of sticks instead of the typical branches covered with needles. You will have your choice of white or black branches and white or colored fiber optic lights. They also come in a variety of sizes for your home. You can find trees like this at LEDTrees.com and in many other retail stores both online and in your community.
You may be wondering what to do with a tree such as this during Christmas. If you dare, you can use this type of tree in place of your regular Christmas tree. If you would rather use a traditional Christmas tree that is fiber optic or pre-lit, you can still decorate with a withered stick fiber optic tree. These neat trees look great displayed in a window or sitting near the fireplace in your home. You can even display it in your entry way for your guests to enjoy as they enter your home. A withered stick fiber optic tree is such a neat thing to have for Christmas!
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Two Trees in One
Fiber optic trees are not only cool, but you also get two trees in one when you purchase a lighted Christmas tree. How is that possible? Here's how:
The majority of lighted Christmas trees come with two light units -- white and colors. By simply switching one unit and replacing it with the other, you will basically have two fiber optic Christmas trees in one! The white unit will give your fiber optic tree a classic look. When you replace it with the multi-colored unit, your tree changes colors and takes on a more festive feel. By simply changing the light unit on your tree, you are changing its entire appearance.
Shop at LEDtrees.com to find lighted Christmas trees in the appropriate size for your home or office.
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Is a Fiber Optic Tree Okay to Decorate?
What would be the point of purchasing a fiber optic Christmas tree to use as your actual tree this holiday if you couldn't decorate it? If you are intending to purchase a fiber optic Christmas tree this season, feel free to decorate it.
Many Internet sites may recommend that you decorate your fiber optic tree with only lightweight ornaments. Because the fiber optic light strand is similar to fishing wire, many believe that anything too heavy will damage the light source. Essentially it is up to you, most fiber optic Christmas trees can be decorated in the same manner with the same decorations you would use on a pre-lit Christmas tree. It is suggested to simply read the instructions that come with the fiber optic tree after purchase to see what is recommended for the brand of tree you have purchased if you are apprehensive about putting heavier decorations on your fiber optic tree.
A good fiber optic Christmas tree will have reinforced branches meaning they are extra strong and will hold even the heaviest of ornaments. If you want to ensure that purchase a fiber optic tree such as this, you will want to look for "reinforced branches" on the description.
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How Long Should I Leave My Fiber Optic Tree On?
A normal concern for most of us is leaving the lights on too long on our Christmas tree.
If you use a halogen bulb, it is not recommended that you keep your tree lit for more than 8 hours at a time. However, if you purchase a fiber optic Christmas tree with an LED bulb, you can safely keep it on for more than eight hours.
A word of caution: It is never a good choice to leave your tree plugged in while you are away from home nor is it a good idea to keep the tree on while you are sleeping at night. Regardless of how safe your fiber optic Christmas tree is, it's always best to follow the manufacturer's guidelines. Besides, think of all the electricity you are saving when you turn your tree off for the night or while you are at work!
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What is a Fiber Optic Christmas Tree?
A fiber optic Christmas is tree is a fairly new type of tree and is growing in popularity! These cool trees look like your average tree until you plug it in. Your tree will brighten with fiber optic rays of light cascading from the branches of the tree, watch as the colors change throughout the tree and enjoy the magic that is a fiber optic tree.
While not a traditional pre-lit Christmas tree, with a fiber optic tree you won't have lights in cases throughout the tree, instead you will notice that just the tips of the branches have small, fiber optic lights on them. You simply plug the fiber optic tree into an AC outlet and your tree is lit! Your fiber optic tree will twinkle and sparkle for hours on end. Often times a fiber optic Christmas tree is referred to as a designer tree because of the classy way it looks with the thousands of tiny lights that twinkle throughout.
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How Much Is That Fiber Optic Tree?
If you are thinking of purchasing a fiber optic Christmas tree this season, you will want to research the price. You will find fiber optic Christmas trees with all kinds of features and the more they have, the more you will spend. If you really want to get a good deal on fiber optic Christmas trees, wait until after Christmas is over and purchase one on sale.
As a general rule, you will spend more on fiber optic trees than you would on other types of pre-lit Christmas trees. Prices are typically as low as $25 for a small tree and more than $400 for a tree that is 10 feet tall.
Consider your budget when browsing fiber optic Christmas trees online. If you can live without one feature, but want a particular size, make that a priority.
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Fiber Optic or Pre-Lit? Which One is Right for You?
Fiber optic Christmas trees and pre-lit trees both have their advantages, so deciding between the two may be difficult. It really comes down to what works best for you or your family.
Pre-lit Christmas trees can come with LED bulbs for bright-colored lights on the tree. This type of light lasts longer and saves you money on your electric bill. A pre-lit Christmas tree has the appearance of a traditional Christmas tree when it is and isn't lit.
Fiber optic Christmas trees can also come with LED lights, meaning this would save you money and the lights last up to 10 years, like pre-lit Christmas trees do. Fiber optic trees take on a more designer flare to them when compared to a traditional pre-lit tree. A fiber optic Christmas tree won't have the type of Christmas lights on them that you would normally relate to Christmas.
If you really want to continue with a more traditional tree at Christmas, then a pre-lit tree may be for you. If you want a more designer flare with a little less tradition when it comes to lights, a fiber optic tree may be the right choice for you! Both are really lovely choices when it comes to Christmas trees.
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Setting Up a Fiber Optic Tree
What is one of the best things about having a fiber optic tree? The easy set-up, of course! You won't need to lug in a heavy tree that you have to force into a Christmas tree base.
A fiber optic tree can be set up in minutes. Simply remove the tree from the handy storage bag, place the tree in the base (no individual branches to insert), flip up the branches and you're done. No fighting with your spouse about stringing up lights!
When Christmas is over, remove the tree from the base, fold the branches down and place it in the storage bag with the base and light unit and put it away. It really can't get much easier than that!
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Are Fiber Optic Trees Safe?
Fiber optic trees are actually very safe. Many fiber optic Christmas trees are no longer made with halogen bulbs, instead they are made with LED lights. Another plus to fiber optic trees? There is no motor in the base, so you don't have to worry about the motor running and overheating in a tree such as this. Plus, without a motor, you won't have that annoying noise that a motor brings.
Since there is no heat generated in a fiber optic tree, you can feel safe and secure putting one up in your home this holiday season.
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Where to Put a Fiber Optic Christmas Tree
The great thing about a fiber optic Christmas tree is its versatility in the home. You can place one of these trees almost anywhere.
For instance, a small fiber optic tree can be placed in a home office, a child's bedroom or even a bathroom. This can dress up a room and make it feel warm and full of holiday spirit. Set your fiber optic tree on the floor, a dresser or a countertop to add beauty to these rooms. Place a larger fiber optic tree in front of a window to display the beauty to the outside, as well.
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Stick to Your Theme
Artificial fiber optic trees look beautiful to begin with but you can add even more to them by implementing repetition as a design tool. This will help to establish the overall design and can contribute to your tree's theme. To achieve this, use different shapes in the same color or repeat the same texture using different colors.
The key is to maintaining a theme is to establish a basic motif and adhere to it; outdoors and nature, flirty and romantic, folky and homemade, Desert and Southwest, antique glass and heirlooms, nostalgic and family, etc.
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What Are Fiber Optics?
Fiber optics are strands of very pure glass or transparent plastic surrounded by a reflective coating called cladding. Light can go in one end of a fiber optic strand, and go along the strand for long distances.
They were originally invented to carry signals in the form of light. They also make remarkable Christmas tree decorations that carry colored light throughout fiber optic artificial Christmas trees.
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Fiber Optic Trees
These striking artificial Christmas Trees have "needles" tipped with fiber optic. Fiber optic trees use rotating color filters in a unique color wheel built into the tree stand. This causes colors to constantly rotate through the Christmas tree, so that every bough glistens with all the colors of the rainbow.
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Use Perspective
Fiber optic Christmas trees create a dazzling display for the eyes but why not appeal to the eyes even more by using perspective when decorating them? Use the law of perspective to your advantage by arranging ornaments according to size.
Place larger ornaments at the bottom of the tree and decrease the size of the ornaments as you move up the tree and it becomes more narrow. To really play with this effect, take it a bit further using bows. Purchase spools of ribbon (all the same color) in three different widths. Cut the ribbons into pieces that are long enough to tie into bows.
Attach the bows to the tree in decreasing order; apply the bows made from the widest ribbon to the boughs at the base of the tree, the medium-width bows in the center of the tree, and the bows made from the most slender ribbon should be placed on the branches at the top of the tree.
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Ornament Hanging 101
Adorn your fiber optic Christmas tree with ornaments to make it look even more fabulous. Before you do this, however, you have to determine how many ornaments are appropriate for the size of your tree. It's not an exact science but it's a good idea to use 30 to 40 ornaments per foot. By using this method, you will be able to create a better overall symmetry for your tree.
In addition, don't clump the decorations together—make sure they're not touching. In addition, don't place them directly next to or above one another, create a staggering effect instead. And, to achieve an even better balance, put larger ornaments on the lower areas of your tree.
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Initiate a New Family Tradition
Buying an artificial fiber optic tree will eliminate the need for stringing lights and hanging ornaments but that doesn't mean that you can't create your own family traditions to add to the tree. Maybe choose one ornament per year, as a family, to add to the tree. This way your tree won't be overcrowded and each and every ornament will be memorable (remember to date all of the ornaments).
A long-time Christmas tradition is to place an angel or star on top of the tree. Make it a family tradition to pick a new crowning object every year to put on your tree. Remember to take a picture of each one so you can document them (this would inspire a great scrapbook). Be creative and make your own family traditions!
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Make an Ironic Contrast
Are you looking for a way to give that artificial fiber optic Christmas tree a little of a natural feel? Here's a great idea using normal fruits you probably have in your kitchen: Peel some apples and allow them to shrivel. Once the apples have dried, invite the kids to make their own characters using the dried fruit.
Provide them with things like cinnamon sticks, orange peels, and cloves to create features, but make a rule that everything used must be natural. Then, let the children use their imaginations to create their own apple people. Hang the finished products on the tree. In addition to creating a brilliant natural contrast to the factory-made tree, the artistic characters will produce a delicious aroma that will fill the house.
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Fiber Optic Glass on Predecorated Christmas Trees
Optical fibers similar to those in our fiber optic artificial Christmas trees are made of extremely pure optical glass or plastic. We like to think that window glass is transparent, but the thicker the glass gets, the less transparent it becomes because of impurities in the glass.
However, the glass in an optical fiber has far fewer impurities than window-pane glass. It is so clear that if you were on top of an ocean five miles deep of solid core optical fiber glass, you could see the bottom clearly.
