There's nothing more festive than putting up the Christmas tree and going totally overboard with the decorations.

Once you've got your best artificial Christmas tree out, baubles at the ready, the next hurdle is untangling the lights. The Home Depot has shared a golden rule that will make your tree shine extra bright this year.

(Image credit: Cox & Cox)

Sarah Fishburne is the Director of Trend and Design at The Home Depot. Working in Atlanta, she leads a team of interior designers. When it comes to Christmas lights, she has a 'go big or go home' philosophy.

'For live trees and shrubs, use 100 mini lights or 50 C7 lights for every vertical foot,' she advises.

(Image credit: Cox & Cox)

More sparse-looking, asymmetrical trees have proven popular this year, with people embracing slimline trees with a branch out of place.On such trees, Sarah says can use half that number of lights, so you'll only need 50 for every vertical foot.

However, if you want the brightest tree in your neighbourhood, the key is to double that number. 'Depending on your preferences, you may want a brighter tree,' Sarah says. 'In which case you can double the number of recommended lights,' she says.

(Image credit: Cox & Cox)

We knew it, more is always more when it comes to Christmas decorating ideas.

With Black Friday home deals and Cyber Monday offers ongoing, you may just bag yourself some additional string lights at a great price. The Home Depot Christmas lights that have been most popular this year are the Holiday 300-Light Clear Incandescent Mini Lights and the Set of 100 Warm White LED Lights on Green Wire.

You might want to add some festive Christmas lighting to other areas of your home besides the tree to help set the mood. Wherever you're hanging your lights, Sarah recommends starting with 'at least 60 feet' of string lights.

The same goes for exterior Christmas lights, and if you have the time and patience, you can measure your eaves and awnings to determine the exact length of string lights you need.

Turning on the tree lights each morning is one of the joys of the festive season, so make sure you have plenty for that extra Christmas magic.

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The Home Depot's secret to creating the brightest tree with Christmas lights - Real Homes