The Evolution of Christmas Lights: Part I
Christmas lighting is an almost mandatory requirement in homes around the world during the Christmas season. The wonderful and sometimes exaggerated Christmas lights of today are a long way from the days of hanging lit candles on the Christmas tree. Discover the evolution of Christmas lighting in today's article.
The association between light and Christmas begins to take shape
Light has been used to represent winter festivities for centuries. Beginning in 1184, the earliest recorded date, is the medieval pagan celebration of Yule, which marked the winter solstice through a burning Yule log.
Later Christianity would incorporate Yule traditions into Christian festivities, lighting Yule logs on Christmas Eve, with records dating back to the 19th century.
The association between light and Christmas begins to take shape
Light has been used to represent winter festivities for centuries. Beginning in 1184, the earliest recorded date, is the medieval pagan celebration of Yule, which marked the winter solstice through a burning Yule log.
Later Christianity would incorporate Yule traditions into Christian festivities, lighting Yule logs on Christmas Eve, with records dating back to the 19th century.
Trees lit with candles
Legend has it that the German priest Martin Luther, around 1538, was walking through the forest and looked at the trees and saw stars shining through the branches. He sought to imitate this image by bringing a tree into the house and decorating it with candles, perhaps to symbolize the light of Jesus and the promise of eternal life.
However, the first reference to the practice of placing candles on Christmas trees comes from a 1660 letter from the German Liselotte von der Pfaz, daughter of a German prince.
But it was later, in 1832, that Harvard professor Charles Follen decorated a tree with candles in what is believed to be the first representation of the traditional lighted Christmas tree in the US. In 1878, Frederick Artz invented the clip-on candle holder, which secured each candle securely to the branches of the tree.
Legend has it that the German priest Martin Luther, around 1538, was walking through the forest and looked at the trees and saw stars shining through the branches. He sought to imitate this image by bringing a tree into the house and decorating it with candles, perhaps to symbolize the light of Jesus and the promise of eternal life.
However, the first reference to the practice of placing candles on Christmas trees comes from a 1660 letter from the German Liselotte von der Pfaz, daughter of a German prince.
But it was later, in 1832, that Harvard professor Charles Follen decorated a tree with candles in what is believed to be the first representation of the traditional lighted Christmas tree in the US. In 1878, Frederick Artz invented the clip-on candle holder, which secured each candle securely to the branches of the tree.
Electrical decorations
In 1879, Edison finished the world's first long-life carbon filament lamps, which he used to light his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, on New Year's Eve. However, Edison's intention was not to share the Christmas spirit, but to try to win a contract to supply Manhattan with electricity.
In 1882, Edward Johnson, vice president of Edison's Electric Light Company, created the first electric Christmas light strip, made up of 80 continuously flashing red, white, and blue lights, powered by a generator, and placed them in the your Christmas tree. This feat earned him the nickname "Father of the Electric Christmas Tree".
Due to their high cost of 12$, equivalent to approximately 300$ (250€) these days, electric Christmas lights were not affordable for most people. At that time, few homes had access to electricity, so most people would need to buy a generator. Additionally, the initial versions also needed to be installed by a professional electrician, which further complicated the situation.
However, in addition to these obstacles, electric Christmas lights were much safer than lighted candles that were placed on natural trees, thus reducing the risk of fire.
In 1894, US President Grover Cleveland encouraged the decoration of a Christmas tree inside the White House with electric lights, popularizing this option.
Pre-assembled electric lights hit the market in 1903, but it was during the 1920s that mass production made Christmas lights even more affordable.
In 1923, US President Calvin Coolidge inaugurated the annual custom of lighting the national Christmas tree in the White House garden, giving an even greater boost to electric Christmas lights and their popularity.
Over the course of the 20th century, more improvements were made to the technology, including the invention in 1956 of a shunt, which allowed a series of lights to continue glowing if a light bulb burned out.
Currently, trees are mostly decorated with LED lights, but that story is reserved for next week's article. You won't want to miss it!
In 1879, Edison finished the world's first long-life carbon filament lamps, which he used to light his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, on New Year's Eve. However, Edison's intention was not to share the Christmas spirit, but to try to win a contract to supply Manhattan with electricity.
In 1882, Edward Johnson, vice president of Edison's Electric Light Company, created the first electric Christmas light strip, made up of 80 continuously flashing red, white, and blue lights, powered by a generator, and placed them in the your Christmas tree. This feat earned him the nickname "Father of the Electric Christmas Tree".
Due to their high cost of 12$, equivalent to approximately 300$ (250€) these days, electric Christmas lights were not affordable for most people. At that time, few homes had access to electricity, so most people would need to buy a generator. Additionally, the initial versions also needed to be installed by a professional electrician, which further complicated the situation.
However, in addition to these obstacles, electric Christmas lights were much safer than lighted candles that were placed on natural trees, thus reducing the risk of fire.
In 1894, US President Grover Cleveland encouraged the decoration of a Christmas tree inside the White House with electric lights, popularizing this option.
Pre-assembled electric lights hit the market in 1903, but it was during the 1920s that mass production made Christmas lights even more affordable.
In 1923, US President Calvin Coolidge inaugurated the annual custom of lighting the national Christmas tree in the White House garden, giving an even greater boost to electric Christmas lights and their popularity.
Over the course of the 20th century, more improvements were made to the technology, including the invention in 1956 of a shunt, which allowed a series of lights to continue glowing if a light bulb burned out.
Currently, trees are mostly decorated with LED lights, but that story is reserved for next week's article. You won't want to miss it!
