The History of Christmas Tree Lights

I love pretty Christmas tree lights!

I love Christmas tree lights! Sometimes, I go for walks after it gets dark, just to admire the pretty colours and decorations that people put up on the outside of their homes. It really puts me in the Christmas spirit, especially if there is a light snow falling. Never have I stopped to think about the history of those pretty lights but they, like all things, do have one.

It's easy to imagine that everyone the world over puts up Christmas lights but that is not the case. Although other cultures have adopted the practice, it is primarily rooted in Christianity and has a past traced back to at least the 17th century, before the invention of electricity, extension cords, and those multi-socketed plugs that let you power up enough lights to put Chevy Chase to shame. Back then, people stuck little candles to tree branches, using melted wax or pins. That method of illuminating Christmas trees took a couple of centuries to catch on as a tradition but all good things are worth waiting for, right?

According to Wikipedia, it was 1890 before folks started putting their tree candles into candleholders. I suppose the primary purpose of doing so would have been to safeguard against fire as a result of putting open flames on wood.

Outdoor Christmas tree lights are beautiful, too!

The world continued to evolve, of course, so at the early part of the twentieth century, even safer methods of giving the tree that special glow were used. Candles were inserted into glass balls or small lanterns. Still effective, and with greater stability and peace of mind. And while die-hard candle users continued the tradition, modern advances were being made, including the birth of electric Christmas tree lights. So, for a while, there was an overlap in the use of candles and incandescent bulbs.

Wish I could say that it was a Canadian who invented the Christmas lights we know today but it wasn't. They are the product of American ingenuity, created by Edward H. Johnson, an associate of Thomas Edison, and the vice present of the Edison Electric Light Company.

Can you imagine the public fervor when a Christmas tree lit up with coloured electric lights for the very first time? Would you think it remarkable? Beautiful? An oddity? Well, if you'd been in New York City on December 22, 1882, you'd know. Otherwise, let your imagination take you there.

Christmas lights are pretty, even when they're not on a tree

Obviously, the electric light craze caught on and has been a sustainable product. Businesses started putting up Christmas lights around 1900. They were only the only ones who could afford to purchase strings of lights, as a rule. Like items today, back then the first few releases were too far out of reach of most households, financially speaking. It took until about 1930 before electric Christmas tree lights became commonplace. I don't know about you but I'm so happy that they did.
________________________________________________________________________________