Candles to LEDs: A brief history of Christmas Lights
Of all the holiday traditions out there, Christmas lights might be one of my favorites. But how did Christmas lights start as a tradition?
As a child, I remember reading “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas” and those old drawings always showed Christmas trees bedecked with candles, and I always found that odd. How could you have an open flame on a wood tree? Wouldn’t it start a fire? But obviously, in the pre-electricity days, candles were the way to go, and that’s where the story of Christmas lights begins:
From Ideafinder.com:
People first started putting lights on Christmas trees back in the middle of the 17th century. They attached small candles to the ends of tree branches with wax or pins. Before electricity was widely available, people didn’t usually put up their trees until December 24 because of the risk of fire. Once electric Christmas tree lights were invented, people started to put up trees earlier, and leave them up longer.
As Christmas lights evolved, you began to see the variations in style you see today – from the big C9 bulbs that are so retro-chic today, to mini rice lights to the new eco-friendly LED lights that are becoming more and more popular.
We’ve found a few more links with the history of Christmas lights, so we can all get excited for the coming season.
The History of Christmas Lights
Wikipedia’s entry on Christmas Lights
The San Francisco Chronicle asks the question: When is it too early for Christmas lights?