Is your Christmas tree killing your Wi-Fi?

December 10, 2025

By Kim Komando

The house is full of guests. The kids are trying to stream Elf in 4K. Your uncle is trying to upload 1,000 photos to Facebook. And suddenly, the internet grinds to a halt.

You probably want to blame your internet provider (and usually, I’d agree with you). But before you call customer service to yell at a bot, look at the corner of your living room.

🎄Oh no, Christmas tree

It’s basic physics you can drop at the dinner table tonight.

1. The “Faraday cage” effect: You know that shiny tinsel or similar decorations you draped all over the branches? They’re made of thin metal foil. In the world of radio waves, metal is a mirror. When your Wi-Fi signal hits the tinsel, it bounces, scatters and fractures.

2. The water problem: If you bought a real pine tree, it’s a living thing full of water. Wi-Fi signals hate water. This is why your signal drops at a crowded party, because humans are big bags of water that absorb it. A thick, watered Douglas fir acts like a giant sponge, absorbing the radio waves before they can reach the TV in the next room.

3. The light interference: Those twinkling lights are pretty, but they generate a weak electromagnetic field. Modern LED strings are better. Older, unshielded lights can create “Repetitive Electrical Impulse Noise.” Go ahead, drop that phrase to sound like a nerd. Anyway, if your router is sitting right next to a blinking strand of lights, it’s trying to shout over digital static.

✅ Quick fixes

You don’t have to go full Grinch and cancel Christmas. 

• Move the router: If your router is hidden behind the tree, move it. It needs at least 6 feet of clearance from the decorations.
• Elevate it: Put the router up on a shelf or table. Wi-Fi signals travel down and out.
• Switch bands: If your router allows it, switch devices to the 5GHz band. It’s faster and less prone to interference from holiday electronics than the older 2.4GHz band.

So enjoy the lights and the tinsel, but give your router a little personal space this season. Btw, how can you tell the age of a fake Christmas tree? By the tape rings on the box!

Don’t let your friends blame their internet provider! Forward this story or share this post on social media right now. Let them know the science behind why their Wi-Fi is officially being defeated by a tree.