Homebase Upton Christmas shop

Our real Christmas trees are for sale in all shapes and sizes. Pop down to your local Homebase store to browse our real Christmas trees – for sale from the end of November.

First, plug-in each strand of Christmas lights to make sure all the bulbs are working. Then, starting at the top of your Christmas tree, intertwine the lights on top of and under branches. Work your way down and around the tree. If you have extra lights leftover when you reach the bottom, you can hide them behind the tree.

Check you have the correct outdoor Christmas lights – mains-powered (if you have an outdoor power supply or weatherproof extension lead) or battery-powered (to avoid trailing cables). To hang string and rope lights between fixed points, use decorating clips or gutter hooks. Make sure you're safe when hanging lights, especially if you're working up high.

To prevent Christmas lights from tangling when in storage, wrap them around something like a piece of cardboard or coat hanger then secure them with tissue paper and tape.

Start with a large, flat surface and spread out your Christmas lights. Identify an endpoint and work backwards from there. Take your time and be careful not to yank the lights. Use a pen or pencil to help loosen extra-stubborn knots.

Start pulling out and fluffing the branches at the bottom of the artificial Christmas tree and work your way up. Separate and straighten all the smaller branches attached to the larger branches. Turn them to face up slightly to give the best support for hanging your decorations.

When fluffing out the smaller branches of an artificial Christmas tree use a 'two out, one up' rule to fill the space. You can even use two different sizes of Christmas lights and a variety of Christmas decorations to add dimensions to your tree.

Homebase's real Christmas trees are for sale in-store from the end of November. You can buy our artificial Christmas trees online from September and in-store from October.