Make a fresh one inch cut on the butt end and place the tree in a bucket of warm water. Be sure to keep the water level about the base of the tree. Check all Christmas tree lights for worn electrical cords. Use UL approved electrical decorations and cords. Unplug tree lights at night.
Miniature lights produce less heat and reduce the drying effect on the tree.
The starting point is 100 lights for each foot of tree. For example, if you have a 7 foot tree, you will want to have a minimum of 700 lights. You will want to add additional strands if your tree is fuller than average, or if you like a heavily lighted tree. Before you place a single light on the tree, you must test your lights. Plug each strand in to make sure it is working.