Y’all. It is July. It is roughly 200 degrees outside, my inflatable pool is not set up this year because of the drought, and there is a fully decorated, glowing Christmas tree sitting in my living room right now. And I regret nothing. If you read last year’s article about planning the holidays early to save yourself the December stress, you know I am a big believer in getting ahead of the season instead of white-knuckling it through Thanksgiving weekend. This year, I decided to take that philosophy about as far as it can go — I set up our brand-new King of Christmas tree in the middle of summer, on purpose, before the season has even started. Here is my honest, first-look review of the tree, why doing this in July actually made a lot of sense, and whether I think it is worth it for your home too.
This post is done in partnership with King of Christmas, who generously sent me this tree to try out. As always, all opinions here are my own.
First Look: Our New King of Christmas Tree (Yes, In July)
The Tree: 9′ King Noble Flock from King of Christmas
King of Christmas sent me the 9′ King Noble Flock Artificial Christmas Tree with 700 Warm White LED Lights, and it is, without exaggeration, the prettiest artificial tree that has ever come through our front door. Which is saying a lot since we have two other King of Christmas trees that we set up in our home for the holidays.
A few of the details that stood out right out of the box:
- Size: 9 feet tall (that includes the stand), about 60 inches wide at the base — plenty full without swallowing the room
- Style: Designed after a Noble Fir, so the branches have that classic, slightly sparse, elegant silhouette rather than a densely packed “fake tree” look
- Flocking: Every branch is generously flocked, like it is caught mid-snowfall — which, living here in North Carolina where a white Christmas is often a myth, is the closest I will get to snow on Christmas morning
- Lights: Pre-strung with 700 warm white micro LED lights, with a remote that controls 8 lighting modes, a timer, and a dimmer
- Setup: The tree comes in four labeled sections that stack onto a power pole, so there is no fussing with tangled strands or plugging in dozens of individual light sets
The Unboxing and Setup
I will be honest, I approach every “easy assembly” claim with a healthy amount of skepticism. I have wrestled enough artificial trees over the years that I fully expected this to be a two-person, two-glass-of-wine job. Spoiler: It wasn’t.
The four sections are clearly labeled, the power pole lines them up automatically, and there is no separate light strand to wrap around anything — it is all built in. We had it stacked, plugged in, and lit up in well under 20 minutes, gloves on to fluff the flocked branches into place (they do stick together a bit from the flocking, so you will want to wear the gloves — they are included, along with a storage bag for easy storage.
The most surprising part? Almost none of the wiring is visible. Even up close, it reads like a real, well-loved tree rather than something that just came out of a box.
Styling it for a Summer Room
This is the fun part. Decorating a Christmas tree in July, with fresh flowers and the yard green outside, is a strange, yet delightful feeling. I debated on hanging some of our new ornaments from our travels this year so far, though I decided to keep it undecorated because I wanted the tree itself to be the star before I go all-in on a full theme come November.
A few notes if you are considering doing this yourself:
- Natural summer daylight is actually fantastic for tree photos — none of the dim, gray light you may have in December
- A flocked tree against green summer landscaping outside the window creates a fun contrast that photographs beautifully
- Setting it up now gave me time to actually look at it, live with it, and decide what it needs before I commit to ornaments for the season — it also gives the tree some time to fall out after being boxed up, making it easier to set up during the holiday season
Why Setting Up a Tree in Summer Actually Makes Sense
I know, I know — it sounds like the setup for a joke. Just hear me out:
- No rush. I was not assembling this is in a frenzy. I could take my time and actually fluff it out and brainstorm where I may add additional details (like these clip candles) for the season.
- You catch problems early. If a light strand had an issue or a branch needed extra shaping, I found out in July instead of during the middle of decorating the whole house.
- Better light for content and photos. If you are a content creator or just like a good picture of your tree, summer light is so much easier to work with than winter’s early sunsets.
- Time to plan. Seeing the tree in the room now means I have months to plan ornaments, a color scheme, and a topper instead of scrambling.
- It is just fun. There is something a little rebellious and joyful about a Christmas tree lit up next to an open window in July. It made an ordinary weekday feel a little bit magical.
The Verdict
For a first impression, I am impressed and excited. I have always loved a flocked tree, though I had always been nervous to try one. The branches feel substantial rather than flimsy, the flocking is even and generous without looking fake, and the lighting is warm and soft rather than the slightly harsh white you sometimes get with LED trees. The setup process alone would be worth it for anyone who dreads the annual fight with tangled lights.
I will share a full follow-up once we have lived with it through an actual holiday season — how it holds up through daily use, whether the branches keep their shape after storage, all of it. But as a first look, this is an easy recommend for anyone who:
- Wants a flocked tree that still feels elegant rather than overly “snowy”
- Hates dealing with light strands and wants something pre-lit done right
- Is willing to invest a little more up front for a tree built to last years, not one season
Shop the Tree
If you want to get a head start on your own holiday season (or just want an excuse to feel festive in July), you can shop the 9′ King Noble Flock Tree here and browse the rest of King of Christmas’s collection while you’re at it. We have this King of Christmas tree that we set up in our home office and this one was our traditional tree that we set up last year in the living room.
Now if you will excuse me, I have a fully lit Christmas tree to go admire while I sip my soda water with a lime.
Thank you to King of Christmas for gifting this tree for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, opinions, and mild summer delirium are entirely my own.
