Christmas Lights

Note: I did not take this picture! I only wish I did.
Photo Source

During the medieval period, special candles were often lit at Christmas, symbolic of Jesus role as the light of the world. The illuminated Christmas tree became established in the United Kingdom during Queen Victoria's reign, and through emigration spread to North America and Australia.

In 1882, Thomas Edison’s assistant, Edward Johnson, came up with the idea of electric Christmas lights. He lit up a Christmas tree in New York City with 80 small electric bulbs. Within 20 years, department stores were displaying electric lights and they were being mass-produced and sold to customers.

Albert Sadacca who was just fifteen years old when he first got the idea to make safety Christmas lights for Christmas trees in 1917. A tragic fire in New York City involving Christmas tree candles inspired Albert and there was no going back to candles.

San Diego in 1904 and New York City in 1912 were the first recorded instances of the use of Christmas lights outside.

So the phenomenon of outdoor Christmas lighting is relatively recent and is closely tied with the use of electricity.

The world famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has had "lights" since 1931, but did not have electric lights until 1956. Furthermore, Philadelphia's Christmas Light Show and Disney's Christmas Tree also began in 1956. Though General Electric sponsored community lighting competitions during the 1920s, it would take until the mid-1950s for the use of such lights to be adopted by average households.

Fiber-optic lights and inflatable decorations came along only a few years ago.

The City of Richmond Virginia apparently has become the "center of the Christmas lighting universe" and boasts of a "Tacky Xmas Decoration Contest and Grand Highly Illuminated House Tour." which started in 1986. Even the web page is tacky!

I promised someone I would write about the magic of Christmas lights and how they stir the wonder and awe in a little kid's heart - and I will do that tomorrow.