I want to hang 300 lights in a Christmas tree, 300 lights sounds a lot, but if you hang it around a big Christmas tree (180cm), the LEDs don't hang close enough to form clear letters or text. So there are two options: choose a smaller tree, or choose a flat Christmas tree (i.e. just a triangle). I went to the store to get some inspiration.

It seems with more logic to go for a flat shape. With a round traditional Christmas tree, 50% of the lights cannot be seen. It is also difficult to hang these lights from the branches. There are not as many branches everywhere and some hang higher than others. This would negatively affect my led matrix. In the store I saw a nice example of a 'flat' tree. This shape has more advantages: you can more easily attach lights to it in a fixed pattern, there is less surface area so I can use my 300 lights more efficiently, and I can make a tree myself with my basic woodworking skills, it is also relatively cheap.

I made a first prototype at home with cardboard to estimate the dimensions correctly with the lights. The lower side is 100cm wide, the height of the tree is 150cm.

I stuck the lights on to get an idea of how sharp I can get my illustrations/text. When I am sure of this shape I can recreate it in wood.