Christmas Tree Candles: Everything You Need to Know Before Trying Victorian LED Candles

Christmas tree candles can bring so much nostalgic, old-fashioned charm to your Christmas decor. The new battery-operated candles for Christmas trees make it easy and affordable to achieve this look if you know a few clever tricks to make them look their best.

My Christmas tree candles are my favorite new addition to my collection of Christmas decorations this year. They bring instant Victorian Christmas elegance and warmth to our tree, which is just perfect for an old house like ours. Of course, these new candles are much safer and easier to use than the open flame wax candles of Christmases past, but it still takes a few little tricks to make these holiday candles look just right on your tree. I thought today I’d share what I’ve learned for anyone else wanting to try this classic, old-fashioned Christmas look on their tree this year.

Which Types of Christmas Tree Candles Look Best?

Tree candles have slowly become more and more popular over the last few years, and because of this, you can find quite a few different listings for festive tree candles from a lot of online retailers. Most of these candles come in sets of 10-12, with little clips that you can fit the candle into to clip it onto a tree, garland, wreath, centerpieces, or just anywhere you’d like to add some charm to your Christmas decor. Typically, each candle requires one battery – usually an AA or AAA battery – and they’re operated with a little remote.

Some of the candle sets are quite affordable, while others are really pricy, making them seem like an unattainable luxury for most people. If you look closely at the different listings, you’ll see that a few of the candles have different shapes or different types of clips that allow them to be hung on a tree, and some are more of a bright white candle, but you may notice one other very suspicious thing: Most of the faux unscented taper candles shown in different listings are pretty much identical, regardless of price. It seems possible that they might even be all made in the same factory, and some sets are listed for up to three times the cost of others, causing some people to think that those will be better quality or more reliable.

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The Inexpensive Christmas Candles are Also the Best Choice

The most common type of candle that you’ll see, the one listed at so many different price points, is the one that I have on my tree. I bought my sets (I got two) for the lowest price that I could find at the time, and I assure you that they are wonderful. In fact, I would say that these simple candles with their faux drips and basic green clips are actually the nicest ones I’ve seen available. Each LED candle set comes with ten ivory flameless candles and ten green candle holders with clips.

These candles are more of a warm white color than some of the more expensive options, with faux drips and a handmade look to them, which I think is much nicer for a nostalgic decor item like this.

I like that the green clips mostly blend right into the tree, and your eye is completely distracted away from them when you add a little bow to the candle to hang down over the clip.

If you’re tempted to upgrade to a fancier type of tree candle with a decorative clip, I would suggest buying the clips separately (I like these gold ones) and just attaching the simple tree candles to the fancier clips. Most of the expensive options with upgraded clips that I’ve seen are actually a little tacky. If you’re going to be drawing attention to the candle clip by making it decorative, you want it to be truly beautiful, not look like shiny, cheap plastic.

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How to Attach Candles to a Christmas Tree

Pictured above: Living Room Rug | Coffee Table | Bookshelf Lights | Stockings | Stocking Hangers | White Vase | Christmas Tree Candles | Gold Satin Ribbon | Floral Pillow | Christmas Tree Candles

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How you attach your candles to your tree will depend on which type of tree you have and also on how particular you want to be about how perfectly upright you want your candles to be. Some of the most charming Christmas trees in high-end rooms actually embrace imperfection and celebrate the slightly wonky, whimsical look of candles that are slightly askew, but if you’re in the mood for perfection, that’s absolutely fine as well.

If you’re going to be adding bows to your candles, I recommend tying a little bow to each candle before you place it in the clip and attach it to the tree, rather than after the candles are on the tree. I used a 3/8″ gold satin ribbon and gold velvet ribbon for my bows.

First, decorate your tree with any Christmas lights, ornaments, Christmas balls, tinsel, floral picks, and tree topper that you plan on using. When your tree is nearly perfect, add the candles as your final step in the decoration process.

Holiday decorating traditions to try: How to Make Those Amazing Paper Snowflakes This Winter

Artificial Trees vs. Real Evergreen Trees

If you have an artificial Christmas tree, clipping your candles will be a little less difficult and won’t require quite so much problem-solving. Artificial tree branches tend to be a little sturdier and are made to withstand heavy ornaments, so you’ll just need to choose a branch and clip your candle about four to six inches back on that branch. Adjust it slightly so that you like the way it looks, and you’ll be all set.

Of course, everything about using a real Christmas tree is slightly more finicky, and attaching Christmas tree candles is no exception. If you’re a fan of real Christmas trees, though, you’ll know that the effort is worth it. The challenge with real Christmas trees is that the branches tend to be a little softer and more pliable than artificial tree branches. The branches may also droop a bit throughout the day and then pop back up again according to your watering schedule, sun exposure, indoor heating, etc.

The trick to allowing the branches to support the weight of the tree candles is to find a spot where two branches naturally overlap, then place the clip firmly over both branches, supporting the candle from two different points. Adjust the clip slightly so you like the way the candle looks, then avoid touching it as much as possible.

If you find that a particular tree branch droops and one of your candles starts to look like it’s falling over, just adjust that one candle as needed. I find that I need to adjust one of my candles every day or two when I walk by and notice one out of place. If you’re having trouble getting your tree to support the weight of your candles, try moving them down the branch, closer to the trunk of the tree, by 1/2 an inch or so.

It’s worth noting that these candles are so versatile and can actually stand up on their own on a flat surface without the candle holder. They can also be used to add a calming glow to luminaries and lanterns or can be used in a glass hurricane or as window candles, so it’s worth picking up an extra set to use elsewhere in your holiday decorations.

Have you tried adding Christmas tree candles to your tree? What tricks did you find helped them look their best?

Seen in this post: Living Room Rug | Coffee Table | Bookshelf Lights | Stockings | Stocking Hangers | White Vase | Christmas Tree Candles | Gold Satin Ribbon | Floral Pillow | Christmas Tree Candles