Christmas Decor A Brief History of an American Custom

White christmas lights

Christmas trees are almost as old as Christmas itself. Christmas lights, however, are a relatively recent invention. For more than one hundred years, American families have lighted their Christmas trees with string lights in order to make their Christmas de’cor stand out more. The first recorded incident of using white Christmas lights to enhance christmas de’cor occurred in 1882 when Thomas Edison’s assistant, Edward Johnson, invented the first such lights; the Edison company started to mass produce this piece of christmas de’cor eight years later. For decades, these commercial Christmas lighting was so expensive that most American families preferred to rent rather than purchase them outright. Just as expensive cars are status symbols for many Americans today, electric Christmas lights were regarded as status symbols in the early 1900s.

Today, LED Christmas lights are one of the cheapest pieces of christmas de’cor that you can purchase. However, this fact does not mean that families should refuse to take these lights seriously. No, instead, families should take these Christmas lights very seriously. Why should they take these christmas de’cor seriously? Because these lights require dedicated circuits of electrical power! It is not so simple as flipping a switch. No, the best decorators encourage their clients to put a lot of thought into how they arrange their lights. A proper arrangement can transform a boring lighting arrangement into a dazzling display of mood and electric power. One of the most event designers in history, Preston Bailey, said as much way back in 1939 when he designed a showstopper of a party for several former presidents and former dignitaries.

Experts who specialize in christmas de’cor also like to offer a few safety tips which will keep families who like electric lights safe. They encourage their clients to keep candles away from objects which can burn. They also encourage families to turn off their electric lights at night. Finally, they prohibit families from disco dancing. Never, ever disco dance, they say. Learn more.