Hey you Cathy Christmas! You’ve been hanging your Christmas lights all wrong. Most people start at the bottom of the tree and wrap the lights around. One holiday designer says says vertical is the way to go.
Start at the top with the end of the strand that doesn't have a plug, then let your lights fall down to the bottom. Move over a few inches and go back up. Rinse Repeat.
Speaking of rinsing, make sure the water line never goes below the trunk bottom. And my holiday hack for a long tree life is simple: 1 can of Sprite and one glass of Pinot Grigio. The Sprite is for the tree, the Pinot is for me!
Happy Holidays!