Christmas Lights Advice

Since this is a Christmas Lights blog, I thought that it might be nice to kick off the upcoming Christmas season with a quick over view of the history of Christmas lights! (which means we have to look a little at the origins of Christmas as well!)

Christmas is celebrated around the world, with the focus of the day on family and for some, the birth of Jesus Christ. In order to understand the history of Christmas lights, it may be helpful to understand just how Christmas came to be recognized as one of the most popular holidays during the year.

Years ago, the middle of winter was a time of great celebration in many countries around the world. The Norse people of Scandinavia celebrated the winter solstice each year beginning on December 21st through the month of January. Winter was a somewhat dismal time of the year, so they celebrated the solstice in anticipation of the sun returning. To honor the holiday, fathers and their sons brought large logs home and then set them on fire, which of course gave off a lot of light! It is said that sometimes it would take nearly 12 days for the logs to burn out. During that time, the Norse people feasted and enjoyed each other’s company.

In another part of the world, Romans were celebrating the winter solstice with a feast that honored the children of Rome. It was also at this time the birthday of Mithra, a pagan god, the god of the unconquerable sun, was celebrated. Again, we see the theme of light during the winter months.

Some historians say that Martin Luther, a Protestant reformer in the 16th century, was the first person to illuminate an evergreen tree with candles. It is said that he was taking a walk one winter evening and was in awe of the brightly twinkling stars in the sky amidst the evergreen trees. He wanted to share this with his family, so he put an evergreen tree with candles on it in the middle of his home.

The Pilgrims who arrived in America in 1620 actually outlawed Christmas during the years 1659 to 1681 as a result of their puritanical beliefs. However, Captain John Smith and the inhabitants of the Jamestown settlement joyfully celebrated the Christmas holiday. It wasn’t until June 26, 1870 that Christmas was officially declared a holiday in America. Within the next 100 years, the American people embraced the Christmas holiday with traditions of gift giving, card sending and tree decorating.

Small evergreen trees were once brought into cabins and homes and placed in a central room. Small candles were then attached to the branches with melted wax or pins. Ornaments were then hung near the candles so the candlelight would show the homemade ornaments at night. For years, this was the manner in which Christmas trees were decorated and illuminated. However, the candles melted quickly and had to be replaced often. For some families, this was cost-prohibitive, so once the candles burned out, the tree wasn’t lit again that season. Sometime between the years of 1902 and 1914, glass balls and small lanterns were used to decorate Christmas trees.

Electric lamps or incandescent bulbs were then introduced in 1882. A man by the name of Edward Johnson lived in New York and was an inventor of sorts. Incidentally, he was a good friend of Thomas Edison, the man credited with designing the first viable light bulb. In 1882, Mr. Johnson came up with the idea to decorate his Christmas tree with strings of red, white, and blue lights. These were the first incandescent light lamps or bulbs to decorate a Christmas tree. The lights measured 6/8 of an inch in diameter. Mr. Johnson had hand wired each bulb and then wound the incandescent light strings around the tree branches. Everyone who saw the twinkling tree was instantly enamored and by 1890, Mr. Johnson’s Christmas light strands were being mass-produced.

The General Electric Company began to sell Christmas tree lights in the year 1903. At that time, the lights were cost prohibitive for the average consumer to purchase, so the light strands were rented out to large department stores during the Christmas season. Who manufactured the lights? You may recognize the name Eveready as it relates to batteries available on the market today. Back then, the company’s full name was American Eveready Company and they are credited with manufacturing the first prewired string lights available to the American consumer.

With the introduction of incandescent light bulbs to society, Christmas trees could glow for several days at a time. Personal residences and town squares alike enjoyed seeing the incandescent lights of color on the trees each Christmas season. Today, the Rockefeller Center is a popular site for a holiday tree each year. In the year 1931, an evergreen tree (without decorations) was placed in the center of the construction site by workers. In 1933, another tree was erected in the same spot, but this time with incandescent Christmas lights. Now the mammoth Rockefeller Center tree sparkles and glows with the help of over 25,000 Christmas lights.

Fast forwarding to present day, the choices of both incandescent and LED Christmas lights are numerous. Christmas lights today offer a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Light use can be tailored toward a particular type of project or special event. Mini lights are a fantastic way to light up both large areas, such as a garden, or smaller, more intimate celebrations. Incandescent and LED C7 and C9 Christmas lights will light up your home both inside and out with a touch of traditional style. Icicle lights have been a big hit within the last four years or so and can be seen adorning eaves of homes, fence lines, and sidewalks (when supported by light stakes). Net lights are perfect for making a fence twinkle during the holidays or for creating a curtain effect inside on walls.

The history of Christmas lights is long and replete with tradition. Family members and friends feel welcome in your home. Your children will love to sit under the fireplace mantel and play board games by the soft light provided by the Christmas lights on the tree. No matter the reason that you use incandescent and LED Christmas lights each holiday season, the effect is sparkling and beautiful.

Shellie Gardner
Copyright 2008

I’m so glad that we finally found a great source for LED battery operated lights (over here at Christmas Light Source). The sets that came in last year have 5 micro-screws that secured the battery cover to the case and the battery connection was set up for AA batteries but you had to use a 9 volt – ouch – so we sent them all back and had to wait another year for another LED choice.

The 2008 lights are great! We were able to get them in 5mm (conical shaped – that’s the term used to describe them but they look like a tiny cylinder), M5 and SM5 (small M5 shapes).

We’re loading them on the website now and the pictures are coming along nicely and will be loaded up soon as well.

The battery pack has an easy to use slide off cover and each set takes 3 AA batteries. These LED light sets have 20 LEDs spaced about 5 inches apart.

The charge never lasts as long as we would like but after 24 hours of operation, the multi sets are still lit with dimmer blue and green bulbs. Funny thing about battery operated lights is that they don’t just go out all at once but the bulbs fade individually. Whenever folks write in that they have a problem with a mini light set – and it happens every once in a while but not too often – we usually ask them to try another set of fresh batteries and that fixes the problem most of the time.

Some of the places I like to use LED battery mini light sets are:
Wreaths
Centerpieces
Banquet Tables
Parade Hats, floats and horses
On a boat when 12 V Access is inconvenient
Classroom projects
Christmas Villages

I’ll be posting more application photos and a video of these light sets soon!

Shellie Gardner
LED Battery Operated Christmas Lights

I am so glad that just about all of the traditional and LED Christmas lights have arrived for the 2008 Christmas season.

All of the C7 and C9 Bulbs and Cords and LED Christmas lights are stocked and shipping.

We still have just a couple of weeks left before the mini lights arrive. They will be in the first full week of October. I know that folks have really been waiting for the clear on black wire mini lights and the Curtain and tree trunk wrap lights.

Currently orders are only taking a couple of days to get out and we are taking steps to keep a same day next day schedule for orders placed before noon through the entire Holiday Season.

Shellie Gardner
Christmas Lights at
Christmas Light Source

Who would think that something going on around the world could affect your Christmas decorations? That is exactly what is happening as China diverts electricity, resources and man power to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Check out this article in Business Week - As Olympics Open, China’s Economy Slows

Industries are being asked to cease manufacture in rotation throughout the country. As a result, some styles of LED Christmas Lights are coming into the country several weeks later than normal.

So kick back, watch your favorite competitors but remember you may have to wait a little before your favorite Christmas lights arrive for the Holidays.

Go USA!!

Shellie
Christmas Lights
Copyright 2008

It looks like the folks over at Purdue are hard at work improving LED manufacture – hopefully this technology will eventually help decrease the cost of LED Christmas lights!

Advance brings low-cost, bright LED lighting closer to reality from PhysOrg.com
Researchers at Purdue University have overcome a major obstacle in reducing the cost of “solid state lighting,” a technology that could cut electricity consumption by 10 percent if widely adopted.
[...]

July 23rd has become the unofficial Christmas in July day!!  Since alot of Christmas lights gurus start ordering their lights in August and September, it’s time to start thinking ahead.

Some colors and styles of lights are snapped up and go out of stock pretty quickly so if you are interested in curtain mini lights, brown wire lights and some varieties of battery operated lights order online early.

Most of the specialty Christmas lights available on the internet will be coming back in stock in August or September.  Check out your favorite online vendors and sign up for their newsletters and waiting lists to ensure you’ll be one of the first customers in line.

Now is a great time to fish all of last season’s Christmas lights out of the closet or attic and take an honest inventory of what you have that you’ll reuse for the 2008 season.

Plug all of your light sets in – of any variety – to confirm that they all come on.  Sometimes inhospitable attic conditions can affect the lifespan of light sets.

Most incandescent mini lights last less than 1000 hours unless you purchased commercial grade mini lights that last anywhere from 3000 to 10000 hours. 

Popular LED Christmas Light sets are rated by their manufacturers for 50,000 hours of operation.  Consider this a specification related to the LED durablity compared to traditional lights.  Stresses and wear on wiring, power surges (always use a surge protector with LED Christmas lights, harsh weather exposure and use in static vs dynamic displays can decrease LED life or can ruin the sets altogether.

So make sure you check all you lights and start thinking about any additions, substitutions or replacements you’ll need to add to your wish list.

Respecfully submitted,

Shellie Gardner
Christmas Lights

Tags: Christmaslights, Christmas in July, led Christmas lights

Most of the seasoned veterans already know that the current generation of retrofit LED Christmas light bulbs (not the pre-lamped sets) are not suitable for choreographed displays but I thought it merited a mention here.

This is due to engineering differences between the sets and bulbs – primarily related to the way the voltage is stepped down in each scenario – and the bulbs receive an impulse when they are rapidly turned on and off due to a capacitor used in their design. So, flash, flash, fizzle.

So, take advantage of the retrofit C7 and C9 bulbs in your gorgeous static displays but as of now don’t purchase them for dynamic computerized displays.

Oh no! What happened? I just plugged in 20 sets of mini lights and they went out right away – what’s up??

Well, first and foremostly, what were you thinking hooking 20 sets of mini lights together? Unless your mini light set is one of a few special commercial rated type of sets, the maximum number of sets that you should connect in series is 3 – per UL.

Back to your dilema then, unplug your mini lights and check the fuse in the first set. If your set has a replaceable fuse (and I’m thinking most do – if yours doesn’t then email me then chuck it in the trash) then use a little scredriver, insert it into the slot at the top of the little door in your plug you had never noticed before, slide the door back and voila! there is your blown fuse.

This is the point where you take the clearly marked envelope containing the fuses you prudently saved when you unpacked your mini lights. Now retrieve a new fuse. If there is not fuse retrieval going on because you threw away the little tiny plastic pounch with the tiny little cylindrical glass looking things that you were confident that you’d never need – then take your lights to a local home improvement center and buy a replacement fuse.

Then use that same little flat head screwdriver that you opened your fuse door in the first place, pop out the popped fuse (if you are really adventurous, hold it up to the light to see what you misadventures in wiring caused) and pop your new fuse in. Close the door and you should be back in business.

Use only fuses with the same rating as the one you are removing (current rating). Again, they guy and the Home Depot – oops, Home Improvement Center – will help you with this.

Never attempt to jump or otherwise bypass a fuse. They are there for your protection.

I am not an electrician. Please consult a Master Electrician if you have any questions about this process.

Happy Christmas Light Decorating,

Shellie
Christmas Light Source

The beginning of the season is a great time to start thinking about how to store your Christmas Lighting after the season is over – especially when you are pulling that mess of wiring out of the great big box that your threw them into last January (hopefully it wasn?t last June – we all have our weaknesses – mine was February.) I?ll be adding tips to this list as I remember more!

Shellie’s Top Ways to Store Christmas Lights

1. Before you remove anything, take photos of this years extravaganza and make notes of what and how you set up your display. This will save alot of headaches next year. If you ordered your lights off the internet, find your order and save it so you?ll know exactly what you ordered when you find you need replacement or additional sets.
2. Save the little boxes your C7 and C9 Christmas Light Bulbs came in. These are not the most durable of the Christmas lighting options and it?s nice to pop them back where they came from at the end of the season.
3. Use the clothes hanger method of Chrismtas light storage. Wrap them into big loops and hang them over a sturdy (wood is great) clothes hanger and then add a plastic bag – just like at the cleaners – and hang them on a hook in the attic or in your Christmas decorations closet.
4. Roll your lights onto a Wrap and Roll storage reel – or a similar device that you can find on the web. They store up to 200 lights worth of mini light sets. For larger light sets, you can also use a garden hose reel but you have to careful not to overload the reel and stretch the wiring of your light sets.
5. Re-use your Christmas wrapping cardboard and wrap your mini lights around the tubes and store them in a tub made for storing Christmas paper.
6. Use wire ties to keep light sets tidy.

If your mini light set has lost a few bulbs, you might consider discarding it or pulling the lights and saving them as replacement bulbs for other sets next year.

Whether it’s an indoor Christmas tree or an outdoor evergreen, everyone wants to know how many lights they need to purchase to make it match the perfect tree in their mind’s eye.

That’s a tough question. I tried to write a program to calculate it but frankly, it turned out to be a near impossible task. Lighting a tree isn’t like filling a swimming pool where you just measure the pool and do a little multiplication to calculate the volume of the water required to fill it to the desired level. (If someone takes this project on – logarithmic spirals and the like, then please share, otherwise I just decided to take 2 tylenol and moved on…..)

More art than math, one person’s smattering of lights is another person’s light circus. But since I get this question all the time, I’m going to give you my guidelines and you can trust your intuition to go from there.

I’m going to assume you are working with an evergreen tree. If you are working on a tree that loses its leaves, you use half the lights since you can see lights on both sides of the tree at the same time.

First, measure the tree’s height, decide what style of light you are going to use (mini lights, C7 lights, or C9 lights) and look at the following chart. I’ve organized it by height but some trees are fatter and some are taller and thinner. Because this is not an exact science, start early in the season (think September/October) so that you can purchase more light strings if you need them.

Rule of Thumb Table for Buying Christmas Lights for an Evergreen Tree

The table that used to be here has been replaced by an automated tool!

See the How Many Christmas Lights Should I put on my tree calculator to get a nice range of number of different lights to put on your indoor or outdoor tree.

The tool is set up to input whether you want C7, C9 or mini lights and the height of your tree. Then the tool kicks out a suggested range of number of lights. Have fun.

As a tip, I prefer a 4″ spacing on my mini lights for trees 10 feet and under and 6″ spacing for all those taller.

I like 12 inch spacing on the C7 and C9 lights because that is the spacing available on the standard light strings that are ready to go with fuses.

I hope this helps you get started on your quest for a perfectly lit tree during the Christmas tree. If in doubt (especially with the mini lights) order one extra set. Even if you don’t use it, you’ll have 50 or more spare bulbs.

Shellie
Christmas Lights
Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved