...family, friends, home and other tidbits of a blessed life

Monday, December 12, 2011

Twinkle lights...do you twinkle?

Do you twinkle or not?
White or colored lights?
Lots of lights or just a few?
Do you use the old school or the new LED lights? Why?

  • Since the middle of the 17th century, people have been bringing a fir tree into their homes and lighting it with candles.
  • The candles were affixed with candle wax on branches, or later with special clips.
  • In 1882 an associate of Thomas Edison named Edward Johnson thought it would be a good idea ot have a little string of lights to use on Christmas trees.
  • Johnson wired 80 bulbs together and drapes them on a tree.
  • GE provided hand blown bulbs but no one knew how to string them together. So electricians were hired to wire them together.
  • 1903 - American Eveready Company produced a set of lights with bulbs that screwed in and plugged into a wall outlet.
  • Still some people used candles. 
  • President Grover Cleveland decided to decorate a White House Christmas tree with electric bulbs. People fell in love with them. They wanted the same look for their homes.
  • The tragic New York fire in 1917 prompted Albert Sadacca, the son of Spanish immigrants the idea to sell lights.  He only sold 100 sets of clear lights the first year.
  • The next he painted the bulbs in colors and the market exploded. His company NOMA Electric was the world's largest Christmas lighting company until 1965.
We use both white and colored lights, just on opposite years. My husband loves his colored lights that are programmable and flash to funky rhythms. I am partial to white. My mother hated twinkle lights so we gave those up when she was with us. We do not do LED lights, we like the old fashioned incandescents. This year, I bought a new tree. Do you know how hard it is to find one not pre-lit??? So it's pre-lit but I think we can string hub's colored lights on it next year. He only has to string lights every other year.. win/win!

8 comments:

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

I married a colored light guy....but he's converted to white lights now. When the kids were home they liked the colored lights too....so we did the every other year lights thing too. Now we have two pre-lit trees with white lights.

The French Hutch said...

Hi Marlis, we love both and do both. I have a tabletop tree in the LR with the old fashion colored bulbs like we used growing up. I just can't not use them. We enjoy this silly movie (the pic) every year because my husband compare himself to CLARK!

~Emily
The French Hutch

Scribbler said...

I think colored lights look better in my living room. There are white lights every where else. I have strung 1800 lights on my 9 foot tree (and I didn't wan't pre-let either) and so far that is all there is. I haven't had time to deal with the ornaments yet.

xinex said...

I don't think John cares as to what color lights we have, I kinda do all the decorating around but nothing much this year but the floors are coming together slowly. My mom's room is done!...Christine

Alycia Nichols said...

1917, huh? It seems like I've been stringing lights since then today!!!!! I helped out a friend who was putting up an unusually tall tree in the foyer of her home. I don't want to see another light - colored OR white - for a long, long time!!! :-)

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

All white lights at my house! :-) Love the look of the colored lights, though! Happy week!...hugs...Debbie

Debbie said...

I really liked that history. (I have enjoyed reading all of your Christmas posts, btw. I love stuff like that.)

As for us? What lights we have outside are white but not twinkly. I do like twinkle, but it has to be in moderation.

And they are the regular incandescents.

Kuby said...

Love this history of the lights! We happen to love multicolor icicle lights on the house...no twinkle. Missing New York as I do, we also have a disco ball and a projector and it looks like snow is falling on our house.

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