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Why Do We Put Up Christmas Lights?

berry size colorful globe Christmas lights laying on a rustic wood floor

Sparkling and colorful Christmas lights are one of the joys of the holiday season. Whether they’re twinkling in a Christmas tree, standing sentinel in a window, lining our eaves or lighting up a shop display, what would Christmas be without lights?


Christmas began with a light. A bright star in the sky announced the birth of Christ, the light of the world. The Star of Bethlehem is now symbolized by stars set atop trees and in all the dazzling Christmas light decorations punctuating the darkness of a December winter.
soft white lighted candle surrounded by pine branches and pinecones

The First Lights of Christmas

The comfort of a light in the darkness is age-old. Ancient cultures incorporated bonfires, candles and lanterns into their mid-winter celebrations.


As Christianity spread, candles were integrated into religious celebrations. During the Middle Ages, Christians adapted older traditions involving wreaths or wheels with lit candles for their Christmas ceremonies.


A 19th-century Protestant pastor, Johann Hinrich Wichern, is credited with creating the first Advent wreath to help the children in his mission school mark the days before Christmas. His wreath consisted of a cart wheel featuring 20 red and four white candles. A new candle was lit each day, with the white candles reserved for Sunday.


Advent wreaths were adopted by many churches in Europe. However, they didn’t catch on in the United States until around the 1920s, when many immigrant traditions became more mainstream. 
giant lighted outdoor Christmas tree against a dark sky

Christmas Tree Lights

Many popular Christmas customs have developed over time, but few are more beloved than that of the Christmas tree. Pagan cultures decorated with evergreens like pines during their winter solstice celebrations. Unlike other plants, evergreens don’t die in winter, so they served as symbols of hope for the coming of new life in spring.


Our modern Christmas tree likely evolved from the Paradise Tree used in religious dramatic performances in the Middle Ages. Hung with apples and other decorations, the tree helped explain the biblical story of creation on the religious feast day of Adam and Eve, December 24. Over time, the concept of bringing a tree indoors at this time of year became entwined with the celebration of Christmas.


By the 1600s, the Christmas tree custom was common in Germany. A familiar story states that religious reformer Martin Luther began the practice of placing candles in a Christmas tree. It is said that a quiet walk through the woods on a starry night inspired Luther to wire candles to the branches of his family’s Christmas tree.


While Christmas tree candles must have been a beautiful sight, they are dangerous Christmas tree decorations. Families often kept a bucket of water or sand near the tree to douse sparks.


The invention of the light bulb paved the way for a safer way to light the Christmas tree.

small colorful globe style Christmas lights on wood floor

Who Invented Christmas Lights?

Edward Hibberd Johnson was a business associate of Thomas Edison and vice president of the Edison Electric Company. The inventor made a sensation in Christmas 1882 when he strung together 80 custom-made red, white and blue bulbs and hung them on the Christmas tree displayed in the parlor window of his New York City home. The brilliantly lit tree captivated the public and drew national attention.


By 1903, General Electric began offering pre-assembled Christmas light kits. While some kits could be rented at a cost savings, electrical lighting was still a rare and expensive luxury.

living room lit by a Christmas tree and firelight with stockings hanging on a mantel decorated with lighted garland

Decorating with Christmas Lights

It took a young man with vision to energize what has become a 5.3 billion dollar industry. Albert Sadacca worked for his family’s novelty lighting company in New York City. In 1925, Sadacca urged several competing lighting companies to form a single trade organization. The National Outfit Manufacturers Association was such a success that its members merged into a single company and began selling NOMA brand light outfits.


Electrical power was widely available by the 1920s, but Americans still mistrusted it. To overcome consumer hesitancy, electric companies sponsored home lighting decorating contests that helped spur Christmas light sales. Within a generation, Americans had enthusiastically embraced the new tradition of decorating their trees and homes with vibrant, colorful lights.


Christmas lights have changed over time. Gradual improvements in production and technology have made them more durable and affordable. Plus, thanks to technical improvements and innovations like cool-to-the-touch LED technology, they’re safer to use than those early lights.

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and giant white angels

Presidential and Community Christmas Trees

Occupants of the White House were among the early adopters of Christmas lights. In 1895, President Grover Cleveland displayed a Christmas tree illuminated with electric lights as a treat for his young daughters.


In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge began the tradition of the National Christmas Tree with a 48-foot tall tree strung with 2,500 electric lights. The National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony continues to be held annually each December on the Ellipse at the White House.


By comparison, the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is 74 feet tall and contains more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights on about 5 miles of wire! This spectacular New York City tradition began during the Depression. In 1931, construction workers at Rockefeller Center set up a 20-foot balsam fir and decorated it with homemade garlands. The annual Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting, traditionally held the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving, is now televised and millions of people visit the tree each year.
Colonial style house on a snowy night ablaze with Christmas lights at the windows, on the roof and lawn decorations

Lighting Up the Holidays

Over the last century, Christmas lights have become the most popular holiday decoration worldwide. In the United States alone, about 150 million light sets are sold each year. That’s an impressive number, especially since many people reuse their lights year after year! It’s no wonder that Christmas lights account for about 6% of all U.S. electrical consumption in December.


Not only do Christmas lights improve our mood, they help create a sense of community. Many towns hold their own Christmas tree lighting ceremonies. Municipalities string lights in parks and along main streets and shopping districts. Cities coast to coast, from Hershey, Pennsylvania, to San Diego, California, celebrate the holidays with spectacular Christmas light displays.


Christmas lights may even make your neighborhood safer! A study by the University of Pennsylvania found lower crime rates in neighborhoods with more Christmas lights. Experts regularly recommend improving exterior lighting to deter crime, but the study concluded that Christmas lights also make an area feel more welcoming.

Begin Your Own Christmas Light Tradition

These days, there are endless Christmas lighting options. Christmas string lights come in many colors, sizes and styles. Net and trunk lights, rope lights, icicle lights, fairy lights and novelty lights expand your options even more. From energy-efficient mini LED lights to charming vintage styles, there’s something for everyone.


Extravagant Christmas light shows have also become a beloved tradition, with some even synchronized to music for a truly magical experience!


If you’re ready to brighten your Christmas season, take a closer look at our wide variety of indoor and outdoor Christmas lights.


Browse our Lighting Resource Center for more information about Christmas light styles, technical information and decorating tips.