The holidays are stressful, to say the least. It’s almost become a cliché at this point to highlight how time-crunched, stressed out and rushed we all are heading into and throughout the holiday season. Due to this being such a communal experience, there are now all sorts of hacks, time-savers, and tips and tricks coming to the surface to help you save time and significant headaches in the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year’s. Our advice? Please take advantage of them. You’re not cutting corners; you’re not cheating; you’re just smart and savvy with your energy. You’re freeing yourself up to, well, actually enjoy the holiday season. One of the easiest hacks is switching to one of the best pre-lit Christmas trees.
One of the most noticeable benefits of a pre-lit Christmas tree is how user-friendly they are. They are as easy to erect as they are to take down. It’s also convenient to store them for years to come. Plus, unlike traditional trees, which can be a nightmare to even get through the front door, pre-lit trees arrive in a box. Here are some further benefits of choosing a pre-lit Christmas tree this year:
Most artificial pre-lit Christmas trees are made from polyvinyl chloride (also called polyvinyl or vinyl and abbreviated as PVC). PVC plastic is fire-retardant and can look anywhere from traditionally fake to lifelike. You’ll be amazed at how real some of these trees look and how convincingly they’re able to pull off the authentic Christmas tree aesthetic without any of the hassles. Maybe you replace your main Christmas tree altogether? Perhaps you can add one to other rooms in the house? Whatever the reason, we’re confident you won’t regret your decision.
Polyethylene plastic (PE) is the most common type of plastic used in consumer goods but is less likely to be found composing your artificial Christmas tree. The branch tips of PE trees closely mimic actual tree branches, and the lifelike needles are designed after natural tree species such as fir, pine or spruce. Together, this creates the most realistic reproduction available. Artificial Christmas trees made from PE tend to be so lifelike that it’s difficult to distinguish between them and a real tree.
Above all else, remember these trees save you hours of Christmas decorating and will last for many years to come. Here are the best 25 pre-lit Christmas trees for the 2021 holiday season.
BEST OVERALL
This 7.5-foot artificial tree from Home Depot has the whole package. It’s equipped with 2,000 warm white lights for bringing a sophisticated decorative feel to your home and has 8,307 branch tips for the filled-out tree look you want. The PE branches are flame-resistant and have a natural look that’ll blend right in with your other decor. On Home Depot’s scale for realistic trees, this one is labeled on the “most realistic” side of things for its full shape and the high number of branch tips. The lights are microdot LEDs with a warm white color that’ll dazzle your room with festivity, and the branches include memory wire so that setup will be streamlined year after year. This tree also comes with a remote control for controlling your lights from anywhere in your home.
RUNNER UP
This tree has the dazzle down with 550 color-changing SureBright LEDs and hinged branches that are easy to assemble. This tree has a more affordable price tag and a less realistic look but will still light up your home for the holiday season with over 1,300 branch tips and a full, round shape. This pine tree is also equipped with a foot pedal power switch and comes in three different sections that easily stack on top of one another. The LED lights have eight various functions you can switch between for a holiday glow, and the SureLight ensures that the lights stay lit even if a bulb goes out or goes missing. This tree also includes its own metal stand for a convenient setup, and the branches are certified by UL for electrical hazards and fires.
BEST TABLETOP
At only 24 inches in height, the National Tree Company Majestic Spruce Tree is an ideal choice for anyone looking for a tabletop tree this Christmas. It comes pre-strung with 35 UL listed, warm, white, low-voltage LED lights, which are battery operated for additional freedom when displaying the tree. Additionally, the lights have six hours on, 18 hours off timer, saving you from having to flick the switch every day. You’ll also find 71 branch tips which are enough for a handful of your favorite ornaments, as well as an attractive red and gold base to give your tree an even more Christmassy feel.
BEST MINI TREE
This Northlight Pre-Lit Canadian Pine Christmas Tree is just three feet tall but packs a ton of Christmas joy into a small package. It sports a lifelike appearance which is made up of durable PVC branches and houses 100 clear lights. It’s also supplied with a plastic stand. Handily, the branches are easy to fluff up and position, making it easy to position them exactly where you want them. Plus, given the tree’s relatively compact 24-inch diameter stand, the tree can fit into comparatively small spaces.
BEST RAISED
The Best Choice Products Artificial Alpine Pencil Christmas Tree sports a unique design with a raised base. While not for everyone, this different tree style makes the lower part of the tree more accessible for those who can’t bend down. Alternatively, the additional space gives you extra room to store more significant gifts or even just give your home a modern Christmas twist. The three-part tree is easily assembled and comes covered with 250 LED lights.
NOVELTY PICK
The Goplus Pre-Lit Artificial Cactus Christmas Tree provides a novelty alternative to a traditional Christmas tree. While not Christmas traditional, it indeed boasts a traditional cactus appearance, with the classic branch on either side of the central trunk look. The cactus tree also features gold and red baubles scattered across the small branches and a large yellow bow, which give it a dose of eye-catching color. So if you’re looking to spice things up this Christmas time or just fancy being a little bit silly, this might just be the pre-lit Christmas tree for you.
BEST POP-UP
The P & I Home Artificial Christmas Tree offers a pop-up alternative to traditional artificial trees. This pop-up design makes it particularly speedy to set up and a lot easier to store. Once in place, this tree stands six feet tall and features 314 individual lights. It comes with a user-friendly remote control that lets you choose from numerous lighting modes, including block colors of multi-colored effects. The pop-up design of this tree gives it a defined cone shape topped by a light-up star for an additional Christmassy touch.
Read More: Alternative Christmas Trees
BEST PRE-DECORATED
In addition to taking care of the tree lights, this BrylaneHome Fully Decorated Pop Up Christmas Tree also takes care of the best of the decorating too, meaning your tree prep time is only a matter of minutes. To erect the tree, simply place it over the plastic stand, pull it up, and plug it in, et voila. In addition to the 300 twinkling lights, the tree is covered with bows, ornaments and French ribbon for a complete Christmas feel. The tree’s collapsible design also makes it especially easy to store during the rest of the year.
Read More: Best Christmas Tree Stands
COMPACT PICK
Sitting only 4 feet tall, the National Tree Company Burlap Artificial Christmas Tree is an excellent intermediate for anyone who wants something which isn’t too big or too small. The 31-inch diameter gives you a good amount of space for a few of your favorite decorations, while the Feel Real branch tips provide a natural look and feel which will have plenty of visitors fooled. The tree comes pre-strung with 150 UL-listed clear lights, which weave their way around the 643 branch tips. In addition, you’ll find an included burlap sack for a more attractive display.
Read More: Best Christmas Tree Toppers
BEST PENCIL
This Northlight Canadian Pine Artificial Pencil Christmas Tree is ideal for tight space households or those who prefer a more subtle, less bulky tree option. While sitting at 6.5-feet tall, the tree commands respect; however, the smaller tree diameter reduces the physical amount of space the tree takes up. The 419 two-tone green branch tips also give the tree a more realistic look, while the 350 clear lights ensure you’re covered when the lights get low. You’ll also find a hinged construction which makes erecting and packing your tree away super quick and simple.
BEST FIBER OPTIC
There’s plenty of visual entertainment to be had with this HomCom Pre-Lit Noble Fir Artificial Christmas Tree in your home. It has nine different lighting modes to choose from. This 6-foot tall tree features 230 UL-certified LED lights and fiber optics built into the branches for that eye-catching, sparkly effect. The lights are integrated into the tree itself, so no additional assembly is required. Simply attach the tree sections to the stand, and it’s ready for display in minutes.
MOST REALISTIC
This Casafield Christmas tree is one of the most realistic-looking trees available. It sports 900 individual branches together with 650 clear incandescent lights decking them out. At 6.5-feet high, this tree is the ideal size for having a strong presence in your home but without taking up too much space. When putting up this tree, it’s recommended you fluff the branches in a spiral motion from the top downwards for the most effective appearance. If this is your first year using an artificial tree, this is a great place to start.
BEST BUDGET OPTION
This pre-lit Christmas tree is a spruce made of high-quality PVC material that adds realness and an authentic look to the tree while also making it anti-crush. It comes in four separate sections, which makes for a simple setup and makes row-by-row fluffing more fun. It comes with 700 pre-lit LED lights that are both energy-efficient and long-lasting, and the metal stand provides for a sturdy, foldable base that’ll keep your tree tall and upright while also preventing breakage. You get a festive, long-lasting tree for an affordable price that’ll pay for itself in a few years of regular tree prices alone.
BEST SPRUCE
If spruce is your favorite, this Manchester White Spruce pre-lit Christmas tree will fill out your living room space and has PE and PVC branches strong enough to hold your ornaments and personal decorations in addition to the built-in LEDs. This tree features over 1,400 PE and PVC evergreen tips and includes 500 pre-lit SureBright LED lights as dependable as they are energy-efficient. The mini LEDs on the tree are color-changing, so you get a variety of themes with one tree, and the realistic look comes in a filled-out, round shape that’s just like the real thing.
BEST FLOCKED OPTION
This pre-lit Christmas tree comes with the festive flocked design that looks just like pine trees out in the forest after a fresh winter’s snow. This pre-lit tree comes in various heights and will create the perfect wintry feel in your living room. It has 250 pre-strung lights that you don’t have to set up or take down every year and branches that fluff up quickly for a full-bodied look in less than an hour. The sturdy steel stand will keep your tree standing tall for years after the fact, and the setup takes just a few minutes with three hinged sections that attach and disassemble easily for storage. The artificial branches are also designed to be mess-free and flame resistant, and the tree comes with replacement bulbs in case one goes dead or missing.
BEST WHITE
Why not step away from the traditional green this year and give a white tree, like this National Tree Company Artificial Christmas Tree, a try? Like black Christmas trees, this newer, popular design functions just like any traditional artificial tree you’re used to. The branches, while white, are realistic to see and touch, while the UL white lights, which number up to 350 depending on your tree size, deliver a twinkle you can’t achieve with a green tree.
BEST FIR
If fir usually is your holiday go-to for the Christmas season, this slim fir is about to revolutionize your space. It’s on the skinnier end of things, so if your tree usually has upended your living room because you just don’t have the space for a larger one, this pre-lit Christmas tree will look great and help you leave everything in its place each year. It has hundreds of warm LED lights for glowing up your living room and has over 3,500 branch tips for a full feel despite the skinny appearance. The pencil shape is perfect for apartments or smaller houses where space is a premium. This tree also has a timer option for the lights to make them even more energy-efficient, a quick setup, and memory wire so your tree will return to its optimal shape year after year right out of the box.
SNOW-COVERED PICK
This ANOTHERME Pre-Lit Christmas Tree is covered in a snowy finish to transform your home into a winter wonderland truly. It’s available in three sizes to suit different room sizes and comes decorated with 300 warm lights and an abundance of pinecones. The X-shape metal stand which holds the tree in place is designed to take up as little space as possible while providing a sturdy base at the center. And although this pre-lit Christmas tree already looks pretty Christmassy out of the box, there’s still a wealth of space for adding your own decorations.
BEST PINE
If you usually go for a pine Christmas tree and are unsure whether an artificial one can honestly fill the shoes, we encourage you to explore this option. This pre-lit Christmas tree features 600 warm white LED lights and 1,440 branch tips to fill out the tree and give it a realistic look. It includes a folding metal stand and snow-dusted branches for a glowing, speckled look that’s more realistic than traditional. This one is a tall tree at 9 feet in height, but if you’ve got the space for it, it’ll dazzle guests and family alike. The energy-efficient LEDs are long-lasting, and the quick-set functionality of the different sections makes for a simple setup that takes less work for you while still maintaining a look of elegance and holiday charm.
BEST MULTI-COLOR LIGHTS
This Gymax 7-foot tall Pre-Lit Artificial Christmas Tree comes decked out with big, bright multicolor lights wrapped around branches that are designed to look and feel just like a real Christmas tree. The branches are constructed from a fade and crush-resistant PVC material, which gives them a convincing appearance. The branches have also been staggered to completely fill out the tree’s shape for a denser look. Additionally, the 450 LED lights come in various colors with two lighting models and nine different effects to choose from, all of which can be controlled using the attached foot pedal.
LARGEST TREE
If you’re a firm believer in the biggest being best, then the LIFEFAIR Prelit Christmas Tree is for you. While this pre-lit Christmas tree does come in a range of sizes, the largest maxes out at an impressive 10-feet tall. It is designed with a natural finish in mind, which includes thousands of tips, numerous sturdy branches and a natural green color throughout. Furthermore, the tree has red berries and pinecones dotted among the branches, making this pre-lit Christmas tree even more realistic and ready for display than most.
BEST UPSIDE DOWN DESIGN
Sometimes in life, you’ve got to take what you know and turn it upside down. This pre-lit Christmas tree does just that with a wacky design that’ll turn your holiday on its head — literally. This tree is 7.5 feet tall and has a 55-inch diameter on top and a sturdy metal stand on the bottom that’ll keep this inverted tree stable. It has 300 warm white LEDs already strung on it and 1,293 branches that stagger up the tree towards the top (which is also the base).
BEST CLEAR LIGHTS
This blue spruce is pre-lit with 850 hand-strung clear lights that look super elegant against the 2,366 lifelike branch tips. The classic needles use PVC material for fullness and authenticity, and the tree has an excellent full shape standing at 7 feet tall and 53 inches wide. This tree comes with a sturdy tree stand, storage bags for keeping the tree in tip-top shape the rest of the year, cotton gloves for protecting your hands during installation, extra bulbs and fuses in case of a break, and an on/off foot pedal. This tree is easy to set up, looks beautiful and comes with a 3-year limited warranty.
BEST COLOR-CHANGING LIGHTS
This National Tree Company pre-lit Douglas Fir Christmas tree has 750 pre-strung UL low voltage LED lights that can change from clear to multicolor and between nine different light controls and actions. The tree is fire-resistant and non-allergenic and measures 7.5 feet tall and 59 inches in diameter. It has 1,867 branch tips that include “Feel Real” branch tip technology for a realistic look and feel that will surprise you. This tree has metal-hinged construction where all branches attach to a center pole, and the sturdy metal tree stand will keep everything upright and festive all season long.
BEST SPLURGE
If you’ve got space in your place and money to spend, this tree is a 10-foot-tall winner. It has pre-lit branches that look super realistic and lifelike. There are over 5,000 crafted branch tips that are as charming as they are durable. It has 1,200 UL white lights that’ll remain lit even if a few of them burn out and the sturdy metal base is built to last through many holiday seasons. The tree will take between 60-90 minutes to reach peak fullness out of the box and comes in many different height options if 10 feet is a little too tall for you.
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