Christmas Lights Day

National Christmas Lights Day is on December 1st each year in the United States. It’s time to get ready to celebrate the holiday with family and friends by decorating your homes and yards! We all look forward to this wonderful time of year to enjoy the beautiful glowing lights.

History

Before the invention of electric lights, Christmas trees were decorated with candles. Although they looked beautiful, they posed a safety risk as they could easily cause fires. After several unfortunate incidents, people began to see the need for a safer alternative. In 1880, Thomas Edison created the first electric Christmas lights and decorated his laboratory with them. It took a while for Americans to become convinced of the safety of this new invention.

In 1903, General Electric began producing electric Christmas lights at a very low cost, and they became increasingly popular. Everywhere you looked, you could see multi-colored twinkling lights delighting passersby. In 1917, 15-year-old Albert Sadakka invented the idea of a garland by connecting a chain of electric lights together.

Interesting facts

• The tradition of decorating Christmas trees with candles originated in Germany.
• NOMA was the most popular brand of Christmas lights, as they introduced multi-colored lights.
• In 1998, LEDs became available, which are even safer, more environmentally friendly, and more efficient in terms of electricity consumption.

How to take part

On National Christmas Lights Day, get out there and decorate your house or yard! You’ll instantly feel better when you see your work come to life. Take a walk around the neighborhood and admire your neighbors’ work. Why not agree on a common theme and work together to create something beautiful?

When is Christmas Lights Day in 2024?

Christmas Lights Day is observed on December 1 each year.

Observations