History Of Christmas Lights

Kerri dean completed her master s degree at cgu in 2015 and is currently a doctoral student in the history department.

History of christmas lights. An early set of christmas lights offered to the public circa 1903 4 the antique christmas lights museum in 1882 edward h. This custom was borrowed from pagan yule rituals that. Johnson was the first to display bulbs on a tree. Her master s thesis christmas lights in america.

Edward johnson an associate of thomas edison wound 80 red white and blue bulbs around his christmas tree. The bulbs were hand wired together much like how you would string beads on thread to make a. The first electric christmas lights were costly. The earlier term yule may have derived from the germanic jōl or the anglo saxon geōl which referred to the feast of the winter solstice the corresponding terms in other languages navidad in spanish natale in italian noël in french all.

In 1903 general electric began to offer christmas lights in eight lamp strings called festoons that featured pre wired porcelain sockets miniature glass bulbs and a screw in plug that attached. The cost of the lights and the services of an electrician to install them was out of the reach of the general public. Christmas lights also known as fairy lights or string lights are lights often used for decoration in celebration of christmas often on display throughout the christmas season including advent and christmastide the custom goes back to when christmas trees were decorated with candles which symbolized christ being the light of the world. The first christmas lights that resembled what you see on trees today were first used in 1882.

The intersections of a modern christmas american culture and postwar suburbia focuses on the history of christmas lights and their importance to american culture throughout the twentieth century. While johnson s tree was considered a marvel and edison s company tried to market electric christmas lights they did not become immediately popular.