PHOTO GALLERY: A magical tree of lights on South Ninth Street

November 13, 2012 | 9:47 p.m. CST

Randy Fletcher strings lights on a tree Tuesday outside Shakespeare's Pizza on South Ninth Street in downtown Columbia.

Randy Fletcher climbs the tallest of his three ladders while crafting a "magic tree" of lights Tuesday outside Shakespeare's Pizza on Ninth Street. Fletcher said the Shakespeare's Pizza at 3911 Peachtree Drive will also have a "magic tree," and each tree will take a total of 24 hours to completely cover in multicolored lights. | Bobby Watson

Randy Fletcher wraps a strand of blue Christmas lights around the limbs of one of the trees Tuesday outside Shakespeare's Pizza at 225 S. Ninth St. To adequately decorate one tree, Fletcher said he uses more than 25,000 lights and incorporates faded incandescent bulbs with brilliant LED lights to achieve a huge array of colors. | Bobby Watson

Randy Fletcher strings lights on a "magic tree" Tuesday outside Shakespeare's Pizza on South Ninth Street. Fletcher said he spent 14 hours in a basket crane Saturday to prepare the tree with power cords and outlets. Fletcher expected to spend about 10 hours more to finish decorating the tree. | Bobby Watson