CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
Christmas lights are a long standing tradition in decorating for the
Christmas season and will add a warm atmosphere to the inside and outside
of your home. The tradition of Christmas lights can be traced to the
19th century in the form of real lighted candles attached to the boughs
of Christmas trees. As this posed a fire hazard and a potential mess,
Edward Johnson invented the first Indoor Christmas lights in 1882. Since
then, Christmas lights are a holiday staple and are always found decorating
a Christmas tree and in various places throughout the inside of homes
and on the outside of structures.
Christmas lights come in many varieties to suit individual
needs. For instance, there are special bulbs designed to
hang outside which can withstand dampness and weather. In addition
to durability, Christmas lights come in different colors and either
keep a steady light or may blink or alternate. When choosing Christmas
lights to decorate your Christmas tree, first envision the overall
look of the ornaments and other decorations you will be hanging on
the tree. If the ornaments are a mish mash of things you’ve collected over the years or made
by the kids at school, multi colored lights may be in keeping with the
playful festive look of your tree. However, for a more elegant look you
may want to choose an overall theme and color scheme for your tree and
the lights can compliment this nicely. For example, an artificial white
Christmas tree may look nice with red bows, silver bulb ornaments and
red Christmas lights. The themes are endless and can be found in decorating
magazines, holiday web sites or can be a completely original design of
your own.
In lieu of, or addition to decorating the outside of your
home with Christmas lights, trees and shrubbery can also
be the perfect canvas for Christmas lights. A bare tree which
has lost all of its leaves, wraped with white Christmas lights can
be very elegant and will highlight the interesting shapes and contours
of the branches. Likewise, wrapping shrubbery in Christmas lights can
have the same effect as a Christmas tree and may be easier to install
and remove than high arches on your home.
Sight seeing the various Christmas lights around your city
or neighborhood is also a favorite holiday pastime. Bundle
up and walk or drive around to see how your neighbors have
decorated their homes and yards with Christmas lights, it
is sure to get you in the holiday mood and might even inspire you with
a few ideas for next year.
