Purple Christmas Lights: Mini, C9 and Fairy Lights for a Goth Tree

Purple Christmas lights come in four main styles: mini lights for trees, fairy lights for wreaths and jars, C7 bulbs for windows and mantels, and C9 bulbs for rooflines. Plan on about 100 mini lights per vertical foot of tree. Choose LED sets, check the label for indoor or outdoor use, and pick black wire for a black tree.

Purple Christmas light styles compared

Purple Christmas light styles differ mainly in bulb size, and size decides where each one looks right. 1000Bulbs explains that the letter C in C7 and C9 refers to the cone or candle shape of the bulb. The Christmas Light Emporium explains that the number is the bulb’s width in eighths of an inch, and 1000Bulbs notes that the two sizes use different bases (E12 for C7, E17 for C9), so the bulbs are not interchangeable.

Mini lights are the usual choice for a goth tree, since they give an even glow. Fairy lights work best where the wire would show, because the wire is fine and the bulbs are tiny. Christmas Lights, Etc. describes them as about the size of a water droplet.

How many purple lights a tree needs

The number of purple lights a tree needs depends on its height. Christmas Lights, Etc. suggests at least 100 mini lights per vertical foot for an indoor tree, and 1000Bulbs calls 100 per foot a conservative count, with 200 per foot for a brighter tree. 1000Bulbs suggests about 50 per foot for LED minis, which are brighter.

That works out to about 600 lights for a 6 ft tree and 750 for a 7.5 ft tree at the basic rate. On a black tree, where the branches give back little light, the higher count keeps the glow from looking patchy. A small tabletop tree needs far fewer: a 3 ft tree takes about 300.

LED or incandescent purple lights

LED purple lights run cooler than incandescent ones. ENERGY STAR says LED light strings are cool to the touch, which reduces fire risk, and the Edison Electric Institute notes that LEDs produce very little heat. That makes LED the easier choice on a dense artificial tree.

Connecting strings is where the two types differ most. The Edison Electric Institute advises never connecting more than three incandescent strings end to end. For any set, LED or not, the number on the box or tag is the limit.

Purple lights on black and green trees

Purple lights on black and green trees give two different moods. On a black tree, purple bulbs glow against branches that almost vanish at night, so the tree reads as a cloud of violet points. Black wire keeps the effect clean, and the black wire Christmas lights guide explains why cord color matters on dark branches.

On a green tree, purple gives a softer, more festive look, and the green tips show between the bulbs. Warm white mixed in with purple keeps ornament colors readable on either tree. Lights pushed deep toward the trunk give an inner glow, while lights along the tips give sparkle.

A purple tree changes again with each light color. The purple Christmas trees guide covers how warm white, cool white and purple lights each change a purple tree.

Purple lights for Halloween and Christmas

Purple lights for Halloween and Christmas let one tree carry both seasons. Purple suits October and December alike, so a tree can go up for Halloween with purple and orange strings, then lose the orange in December and gain silver or black ornaments.

The Halloween Christmas trees guide walks through that changeover. For tree shapes, ornaments and the rest of the room, start at the goth Christmas decor hub.