Christmas LightsThe use of light as a part of festive celebrations is a tradition established in the 17th century when candles would be affixed to the branches of trees on Christmas Eve. Edward Johnson was the first to decorate his Christmas tree with specifically crafted red, white and blue electric bulbs in 1882, just 3 years after Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. However, although department stores and the more affluent began to decorate their homes with electrically powered Christmas lights in the early 1900s, it was not until the mid 50s that they became available to the masses.Today there is an incredible selection of Christmas lights available in every style and colour designed to bring festive illumination to your home and garden. Strands of white or coloured miniature bulbs are an incredibly popular way to light a Christmas tree. They are powered by a relatively low wattage (1.5 watt bulbs) so are a more cost effective way to bring festive light to your home than the larger bulbs used in the past. Miniature bulbs are actually tiny incandescent bulbs complete with filaments, this means that over time each bulb will burn out. In the past when a single bulb blew every light in the string would go out, this is because mini bulbs are connected in series and so electricity could not pass through the circuit. The recent addition of an internal shunt to each bulb means that if a single bulb blows electricity can still pass through the circuit and so the string would remain illuminated. However, if a bulb becomes lose in its socket, the circuit will be broken and the string will not illuminate. LED lights are even cheaper to run as they are powered on a lower voltage; because of this they never get hot and so can be placed in close proximity to decorations and fabrics without posing a safety risk. Although slightly more expensive to purchase, LED Christmas lights last roughly ten times as long as regular mini Christmas lights and so really should be viewed as an investment, not only in terms of cost but also safety. Fibre Optic lighting is also a popular form of festive lighting, although it is usually used to light artificial trees. An LED or incandescent bulb is usually placed in the base of the artificial tree and connected to fibre optic strands attached to its branches. Different colour and light patterns can be created through the use of a colour/ effects wheel in the base near the light bulb. Varieties of incandescent and LED lighting are available for both indoor and outdoor use. Icicle lights look beautiful when draped around windows, rope lighting is effective indoors and out and provides equally dramatic effects whether decorating a fireplace or banister or wound around a tree. Traditional Christmas symbols such as the nativity, Father Christmas and snowmen are always popular when used to illuminate roofs or lawns. Whether you love to decorate your whole house inside and out, or prefer more subtle Christmas lighting, you can be sure that you will be able to find the Christmas lights to create your perfect festive look. |
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