A History of Christmas Lights

ralphhardin@gmail.com Christmas lights have come a long way since their inception in the 17th century. They are a Christmas tradition that has strongly withstood time.

Outdoor Christmas lights in particular bring both joy and a competitive spirit out of people across the world as Christmas approaches every year.

• Candles — Outdoor Christmas light displays on houses evolved from decorating the traditional Christmas tree and house with candles during the Christmas season. The tradition of lighting the tree with small candles dates back to the 17th century and originated in Germany before spreading to Eastern Europe. The small candles were attached to the tree branches with pins or melted wax. In addition, European Christians used to display a burning candle in the windows of their house that was visible from the outside. The candles in the window indicated to other Christians that the house was a Christian house and that other Christians were welcome to come worship with the residents.

• Going Electric — During the 1880 Christmas season, Thomas Edison introduced the first outdoor electric Christmas light display to the world.

He displayed the lights outside of his laboratory compound, which sat near a railway where many people could see it each night. This was the first official outdoor Christmas display that was separate from decorating just the Christmas tree.

Edward Johnson, who was an inventor under the supervision of Thomas Edison, created the first string of Christmas lights a couple of years later, with displays of Christmas lights in retail stores and government buildings becoming popular in the U.S.

at the turn of the 20th century, and even on homes a few decades later when the electric lights became more available. In 1895, the first White House electrically lit Christmas tree was sponsored by President Grover Cleveland, which brought national attention to the trend. At the time, only wealthy people could afford the cost, which was upward of $300 per season (which would be more than $5,000 in 2019).

After the Great Depression, more and more people began to purchase Christmas lights in the 1940s and 1950s as the lights became cheaper, and people started decorating their houses as well as their trees to match elaborate department store displays.

The outdoor displays have become a symbol of the Christmas season.

• Today’s Christmas Lights Nowadays, candles on trees and in windows have given way to massive outdoor displays that attract visitors from miles away.

The mini-light is the most popular light style, and most of these lights come with a built-in twinkle.

There are different incandescent light sizes offered today, and most function in the same manner. LED, lights are energy-efficient and help reduce carbon emissions and your electric bill. Christmas light displays often bring out people’s competitive spirit to see who can have the most elaborate display on their street.