Creating a festive laser display that all comes from a Christmas tree is the main concept of this project. It requires only a few lasers with diffraction gratings being used by the guide to disperse one laser beam into several laser beams effectively. The video below shows the laser Christmas tree in action.

An assortment of continuous operation lasers is used for this project as the lasers are arranged in power outputs of 25mW to 40mW. Lower power unit can be used but will not create a good impression. The preparation of the laser is shown in the image below where the mounting brackets have been removed and prepared with matching power supplies to be placed on the tree. Regular laser pointers can be used by taping the button so it stays ON if continuous operation lasers will not be available. This will help create a temporary solution to create your own display although the battery will die eventually.

The best thing done in this project is the application of diffraction gratings in order to produce multiple beams which is shown in the image below. The diffraction gratings utilize electrical tape to the end of the lasers. To show how different displays can be created, a wide variety of diffraction gratings can be used.

To attach each laser module to a different branch on the tree, black twist ties are used which allows the lasers to be moved easily to create better displays. Contrasting colors between the red and the green lasers can be achieved by spreading out the lasers. The attachment of laser is shown in the next image.

When colors are contrasting each other, it is important to consider that lasers display appear more dynamic. They should be spread out to effectively create an interesting display once the lasers were active. This has been proven since the two green lasers beside each other did not look as impressive as a red and a green nearby each other. The lasers need to be adjusted in order to look just like the image below.

For the star or angel, anything can be used but it would be better to use something that may appear different from the rest of the tree. A yellow or blue star is a good idea if green and red lasers are used primarily. Fog and smoke can also be added to provide uniqueness to the tree which can reveal all beams projecting from the tree. Other traditional decorations, garland, or ornaments can also be added especially those that reflect laser beams and are visible in the dark.