Santa's Own University Quiz

The distance between furniture, windows, doors, traffic areas and proximity to an electrical outlet all should be considered. There are many different tree profiles so it should be easy to find a balance between height and diameter that fits your needs. Most homes have 8’ ceilings which are actually 7’8”. This is the reason 7 ½ ‘trees are the number one selling size. However, many newer homes have 9’, 10’ and even higher vaulted or cathedral ceilings.

The leaves or tips of Fresh Cut TM trees are molded of poly ethylene which creates the most lifelike appearance possible. PE tips can be molded to match any live tree branch and custom colored as well. Because it is much more labor intensive, PE trees are generally more expensive than PVC. After the molding process the construction is the same as a hand tied PVC tree. Note: When making PE trees, most manufacturers use PVC tips on the inside of the tree to keep a full appearance and help hold down costs. The ratio of PE tips to PVC will not only determine the cost but will also determine how life-like the tree looks.

At santasownhowto.com, anyone can download owner’s manuals, watch videos on the best way to set up, shape and take down your tree and also find helpful videos should you encounter any problems in the future.

Many sets use a compression contact to maintain current flow if a bulb is removed. These sets only protect from missing bulbs and do nothing for the more likely problem of shunt failure.

LED lights are the most recent lighting technology for permanent Christmas trees. Simply put, an LED produces light in a completely different way than an incandescent bulb.
Light emitting diodes have no filament, create almost no heat, are extremely energy efficient and have a bulb life 5 times greater than most incandescent bulbs.
The greatest challenge in LED lighting is color. Because the light is essentially computer generated, producing the warm glow of an incandescent bulb is difficult. Consistency is also a factor. Beware of LED sets that have variations in bulb color from white to yellow.

More lights does not always mean better lighting. The key is to match the light count to the construction style of the tree. Traditional, triangular shaped trees generally require less lights than irregular, indexed trees. The best way to determine how well a tree is lit is to stand about 10 feet away and squint your eyes so the lights go out of focus. This will make any dark areas on the tree stand out.

To protect your investment, store your tree away from extreme heat or cold. Be certain to protect the tree from dust, moisture and insects. The original carton is generally suitable for repacking the tree however, it will require the tree to be completely folded back to its original condition meaning extra time each year shaping or fluffing the tips and an increased risk of damaging a light set. Most specialty retailers sell fabric containers that allow the tree to be loosely folded for storage. This makes the tree easier to carry and allows for quicker set-up the following year.

A lifelike Christmas tree should be treated as a long term investment. A premium, high quality tree will last for many years and more importantly, maintain its good looks over time. Considering a 10 year life span, just a few dollars per year could make all the difference in the level of enjoyment your tree provides.

Branches are either hand tied to a branch rod or twisted between 2 thin wires. The hand tied method is preferred and used by Santa’s Own because the single steel rod is sturdier and it is a manual process so all of the tips point in the right direction…up.

Good Housekeeping magazine voted Santa's Own as the strongest and sturdiest in a product test.

Every mini light bulb is made up of several components that are essential to its individual function, as well as its function on the entire light set. Each bulb has a husk or base, 2 copper wires, a filament, and a shunt.

If a light bulb is removed or a wire is cut the circuit will be broken and the electricity will not be able to reach the other bulbs in the strand. This is why all of the lights on a set will go out if only one bulb is loose, missing, or broken.

The shunt is a tiny wire below the filament that is dormant until the filament burns out, at which time the shunt activates and, again, keeps the light set circuit closed. The shunt, however, is not a filament and will not re-light the bulb.

Because almost all miniature light sets are wired in series, if the filament burns out and the shunt fails, the entire set will go out. Many people would believe the light set has “gone bad” because this problem is very difficult to isolate. The reality is light sets don’t “go bad” but light bulbs do. The only time a bulb is not to blame is if the wires are severed or pulled from the bottom of the bulb socket. Fuses in light sets of Santa’s Own trees should never need to be replaced unless the wiring harness was modified and additional lights were installed—THIS IS NOT RECCOMENDED.

As bulbs burn out, each remaining bulbs is receiving an increased amount of electricity which shortens their life. As more bulbs burn out, the problem becomes exaggerated until all the bulbs burn out. This is known as cascading and is evidenced by black spots on the unlit bulbs.

Stay-Lit and Perfect-Lit use patented technology to regulate voltage by inserting a computer chip in every socket. This chip regulates the flow of electricity to each bulb and completes the circuit even when bulbs are loose, twisted, or broken. All of the others provide very limited protection if you pull a bulb out but they provide no protection against the number one cause of light set failure which is shunt failure. The shunt is an aluminum wire that keeps the connection alive if a filament burns out.

PVC trees originate from sheets of PVC which are slit and twisted around 2 wires to create the individual tips or leaves. The tips can be made using 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 plies/layers of PVC. There are also a variety of thicknesses ranging from .07 to .14mm. The more plies and heavier gauge PVC used will determine how full the tips are and how well they will maintain their fullness over the years.

9”-10” spacing allows for more balanced lighting with less wire showing. 4” spacing is typical for boxed light sets and 6” spacing is common on many pre-lighted trees. Shorter spacing costs less but will expose wires and result in “clumps of light”. Some Santa’s Own trees use up to 14” spacing to create an even lighting appearance on the bottom branches.