When you decorate your Christmas tree, chances are you string the lights around the tree in a coiled, horizontal fashion. But, as it turns out — according to a recent viral TikTok video — the most common method of getting those lights on your tree is not the most efficient.
Instead, try looping the lights vertically. TikTok user Clare Hooper (@mrsclarehoops) says decorating trees was once part of her job, and she demonstrates what she describes as a zig-zag method that’s used by interior designing pros. Her video, which is set to the song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” has now garnered 2.4 million views as well as shout-outs from several other TikTok users who thank her for the game-changing decorating trick.
Check it out:
@mrsclarehoops This method saved me so many times ð#christmasdance #mumslifeinlockdown #festiveness
Hooper explains that the vertical approach to decorating your tree means you don’t have to waste lights on the back of the tree that no one sees. Plus, if a light goes out, it’s easy to find the strand to troubleshoot.
Fellow TikTok users who came across Hooper’s video have been sharing their own decorating success stories after switching to the vertical stringing method. TikTok user Liz Lovery (@lizlovery) shared a timelapse video of herself trying out the method she learned from Hooper, using a stepstool to reach the strands to the top of the tree. She says the method is “a whole lot easier.”
Here, she demonstrates the hack:
@lizlovery Wow what a difference this made! Thank you @mrsclarehoops ! ð #HolidayVibes #christmas #holidaydecor #homedecor #decortips #IntroVideo #hometips
This way of hanging lights is actually a Christmas decorating tip that other design professionals have espoused in the past.
On a “Today” show segment, design and entertaining expert Francesco Bilotto recommended stringing lights vertically, starting at the top of the tree with your light strands and leaving three to four inches between each strand. When doing this, leave the plug at the bottom so each strand can easily connect to a power cord.
“The reason I like doing this is if you go around in a circle longways, the lights tend to go in,” Bilotto told “Today” viewers. The method allows the lights to stay on the tips of the branches, giving your Christmas tree more twinkle that can be bounced around on your ornaments.
Have you ever tried the vertical approach for hanging Christmas lights, and, if so, how did it turn out for you?
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
