A: Hi Anne, Thank you for your question. The lights are not connected through the pole / trunk of the tree. Instead, there are string lights that are woven in with the branches. The string lights connect to each other and light up when you plug the tree in. When the tree is disassembled, you unplug each of the string lights from each section of the tree. I hope this information is helpful for you if you decide to purchase the 7.5tr Prelit Flocked Full Alaskan Fir Christmas Tree. Puleo appreciates your interest in the Christmas Tree and we strive to provide the best service to our customers. Thank you, Puleo Customer Expert