The Just Cut® family of pre-lit Christmas trees offer advanced technology with Energy Smart® LED lighting and Easy Shape Technology™.

This weekend homes across the country will be a little brighter when millions of Americans kick off the holiday season by trimming their trees, and their yards, with holiday lights.

For more than 100 years, GE Lighting has been a symbol of both tradition and innovation in holiday lighting, so much so that GE holiday lights illuminate historical and national landmarks, such as the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., each year.

Know your lights. When purchasing lights, begin by making sure that all of the light strings are compatible, and don’t be caught running out to the store for more lights. When choosing the amount of lights to purchase, plan on using an average of 100-150 lights per vertical foot of the tree.

Go LED. The national tree isn’t the only one that will sparkle with LED technology this year. The use of LED holiday lighting, which consumes up to 80 percent less energy than incandescent holiday lights, may fill as much as 45 percent of stores shelves this season. LEDs are cooler-operating than traditional incandescent options. They’re also an ideal fit for outdoor lighting.GE offers color-changing lights, colored lights and white lights in several LED styles. Because long-lasting LEDs emit less heat, they’re also more durable.

Add movement. Want that snowflake display to sparkle or your eight tiny reindeer to trot? Give the illusion of movement with color changing lights. Many options are available, including twinkling, chasing and fade-in, fade-out styles. New this year are GE brand cascading icicles with a circuit that gives off a melting effect.

Mix lighting styles. To make holiday lighting stand out, pair strings of different sized lights together to add depth to décor. On the tree, set a base of white lights at the bottom and continue upward, adding strands of large bulbs and novelty lights for color and variety.

Find inspiration. Every year, thousands of tree lighting ceremonies take place all over the country. Draw ideas from these magical designs. One of the most renowned tree lightings is the National Christmas Tree in President’s Park, a tradition that began in 1923. Get a front row seat sure to spark ideas by watching the lighting ceremony live online at 4:30 p.m. EST on Dec. 1 at www.thenationaltree.org.

This year the experts behind those magical displays are weighing in on how to bring similar looks home for the holidays.