December 1#: National Christmas Lights Day

Time to deck the halls, folks, because December 1 is National Christmas Lights Day!
And one of the most important parts of the festivities are the strings of lights, whether colorful or white, that can be strung about the trees, bushes, windows, light poles, rooflines and wherever you want.
There’s something magic about the sight of Christmas lights twinkling in the night sky. Whether it’s a lighted tree in your living room or strings of lights adorning your home’s exterior, holiday lighting helps create an atmosphere that is truly special and brings joy to everyone who sees them.

The history of electric lights used for Christmas decorations can be traced to the late 1800s when lights were first strung together by a man named Edward H. Johnson, who promptly strung them all over the outside of his Menlo Park laboratory.
Partner and friend of Thomas Edison, he handwired some lights together to combat the safety issues that were often encountered when people would use open-flamed candles to light their Christmas trees, a risky practice that naturally led to several house fires.
Because people were initially distrustful of electricity, however, it took another several decades for the invention to catch on.
By 1895, US President Grover Cleveland requested that the family tree in the White House be decorated with strings that included hundreds of Christmas lights. This set a trend and the idea of decorating with lights during the winter holiday season has become an important tradition.
It wasn’t until 1903, when General Electric began selling pre-assembled kits of Christmas lights, that electric lights became popular with people of all classes.
Some neighborhoods even hold contests or competitions to see who has the best decorated houses.

Get involved with the festivities of the season and kick things off with the celebration of National Christmas Lights Day!
This is the time to get truly festive by hanging those Christmas lights all throughout the house, in the front yard, back garden and wherever you want.
This day is the unofficial time that everyone will be ready to welcome in the festive season with lights of red, green, blue and so many other pretty colors.
It might even be fun to put up a small, battery powered string of lights around the desk at work.
Put on some Christmas music or play a favorite Christmas movie in the background!

With the awareness that the use of energy can be a drain on the earth’s resources, celebrate this holiday season with a more earth-friendly take by purchasing lights that are better for the environment.
For example, solar powered Christmas lights can be a great option, especially for those who live in a sunnier portion of the world.
Another option is to be sure that any new lights purchased are LED rather than incandescent, because they use up about 80% less energy.

On this day it also might be fun to take a little drive on this day to check out the neighborhoods where Christmas light displays are a beautiful thing.
Or, for folks who live in larger cities, it could be fun to take a walk and view the Christmas displays in the shop windows or light displays that are put on at local parks, museums or elsewhere.
One interesting event celebrated in the United States is the annual lighting of the national Christmas Tree at the White House in Washington, DC.
The large evergreen tree, located on the northeast portion of the property, has a 100-year old tradition of being decorated as a Christmas tree. Typically, on either November 30 or December 1, the President and First Lady make a ceremony of the lighting of the tree!

Images from web – Google Research