Trees and Lights
 Jonelle Thackston | Executive Assistant
As the holiday season returns, it is almost time to pick out that perfect Christmas tree. However, do not put all your energy into the tree, as there is also the ornaments, the garland and the lights. The electric Christmas light, originating around 1879, is considered to be America's contribution to the Christmas tree. The idea of lighting a tree is actually a very old Germany tradition.
Legend is that Martin Luther, the religious leader, was walking home from mass one Christmas Eve and saw the very starry night. Wanting to share this beautiful experience with his family Luther cut down a small fur tree and set it up in his living room, there he filled the tree with lit candles in an attempt to recreate what he saw.
This tradition continued for over three hundred years until the invention of electricity. However during that time it did expand to little metal lanterns and small wicks hung on the branches like ornaments.
The first electric Christmas lights were actually night-lights strung together. General Electric was the first company to make commercial Christmas lights, soon followed by Edison Electric. The first commercial Christmas lights were much bigger then they are today, about half an inch in diameter. In fact the miniature lights that are most often used today were invented by Ralph E. Morris, who worked for the New England Telephone Company. He got the idea from watching the tiny bulbs in the telephone switchboards.
The first public Christmas tree with electric lights was in New York City in 1882. The tree was covered with 80 blinking red, white, and blue lights.
In the 1950s bubble Christmas lights were invented. The idea was colored tubes would be filled with a liquid that would bubble when the light heated up. These American made lights were very popular in the 50s and 60s but then died out. In the 21st century, they are beginning to make a comeback.
For those of you who do not like going through the hassle of cleaning up after a live tree and untangling the Christmas lights each year, as of the end of the 20th century you can now buy artificial trees that have the lights included.
In addition to indoor lights there have been innovations in outdoor lights as well. Two of the most recently popular additions are the icicle lights and the new net (or tree wrap) lights. The icicle lights you string around the edge of your roof to give the appearance of light glistening off icicles, the strands of lights are alternating lengths to make the appearance more natural looking. The net lights are literally a net of lights that you can throw over a bush or wrap around a tree to give a clustered look with not nearly half the work.
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Philips 200-ct. Clear Mini Lights |
| Brighten your home for special occasions. Philips 200-ct. Clear Mini Lights work outdoors or indoors and provide up to 40 percent energy savings. Extra bulbs and fuse included. Remains lit if one bulb burns out. Weather-resistant. |
| PRICE: $9.99 |
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| Holly Berry Light Set |
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| Your home will shine with Christmas cheer when you string the porch with this holly berry light set. The 12 foot long cord features 12 fabric holly leaves, each with three round, burgundy-colored berry lights in the center. Steady-illuminating set remains lit if one bulb burns out. Replaceable fuse plug; extra berry bulbs and fuse included. For indoor or outdoor use. |
| PRICE: $9.99 |
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Programmable Light Set |
| Dress your home for the most wonderful time of the year with this colorful, programmable string of lights. The 140-bulb set has an eight-function controller that programs for eight light modes: combination, wave motion, sequential, slow glowing, chasing/flash, slow fade, twinkling/flashing, and steady illuminating. Memory retains mode setting after lights are turned off. Bulbs remain lit if one bulb burns out. Replaceable fuse plug; extra 3.5 volt multi-bulbs and fuse included. For indoor or outdoor use. |
| PRICE: $9.99 |
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| Lighted Swag and Bow (6-1/2 foot) |
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| Wrap up your home like a Christmas present with this whimsical light sculpture. The long, six foot six inchsculpture features a big red bow at the center with green swags extending out from either side. Perfect for stringing across the porch or over the front door, the set of 150 mini lights are pre-wired on a stable, one piece folding metal frame. Steady-illuminating, super-bright lights remain lit if one bulb burns out. Replaceable fuse plug; extra 2.5 volt bulbs and fuse included. Connect up to three sets end to end. For indoor or outdoor use. |
| PRICE: $12.99 |
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Satin Globe Lights – 25-ct. |
| Dress up your home for the most wonderful time of the year. These gorgeous globe lights bring a classic and whimsical touch to the décor. String of 25 lights features bright, colorful bulbs with a soft satin finish. Steady illuminating lights remain lit if one bulb burns out. Connects end to end. For indoor or outdoor use. |
| PRICE: $9.99 |
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| Old-Fashioned C9 Swirl Lamps |
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| Add a dash of retro style to your holiday décor with these cool C9 Swirl Lamps. The light string features 25 rainbow-colored lamps, each with two colors such as orange fading into red or green fading into blue. Steady illuminating bulbs remain lit if one bulb burns out. Connect up to a total of 60 bulbs end to end. Replaceable fuse plug; extra fuse included. Weather resistant. For indoor or outdoor use. 24 foot cord. |
| PRICE: $19.99 |
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Stay-Lit Light String - 40 foot |
| This light set eliminates the fuss from decorating the outside. It has a chip in every bulb socket and stays lit when one or more bulbs burn out, come loose, fall out, or are broken. It lasts up to two times as long as standard sets. And with more than 39 foot of string to work with, you won't have to worry about connecting a boxful of strings and overloading the line. Replaceable fuse in plug protects against shorts and overloads. Connect up to three sets. For indoor or outdoor use. Green string with 100 clear bulbs. |
| PRICE: $9.99 |
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| Cluster Lights Set - 18 foot |
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| A bright addition to your holiday décor, this light set has tight clusters of twinkling clear mini bulbs. Features 450 energy-saving, steady-illuminating bulbs on an 18 foot green rope. Weather-resistant set remains lit if single bulbs burn out. Replacement super-bright bulbs (2.5 volt) and fuse included. For indoor or outdoor use. Cord length: 20 foot. |
| PRICE: $9.99 |
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Icicle Lights Set - 18 foot |
| Garnish your home in wonderful wintry touches, like these twinkling icicle lights. This set includes two strings of 150 clear mini lights (300 lights total). Energy-efficient design maximizes bulb life a uses up to 40 percent less energy. Features weather-resistant green wires and steady illuminating bulbs that remain lit if one bulb burns out. Connect up to three sets. Replaceable fuse plug; extra bulbs and fuse included. For indoor or outdoor use. |
| PRICE: $9.99 |
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| Rope Light - 24 foot |
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| This 24 foot long clear rope light can be used to outline anything, indoors or out. Installed on ceilings, doorframes, windows, walkways, tree trunks or gables, it follows the form with a line of lights. Set features long-life super-bright bulbs inside a plastic rope casing. One bulb per inch. May be connected with more light ropes (sold separately) to a maximum of 200 feet. Mounting clips and screws included. Replaceable fuse plug; spare fuse included. |
| PRICE: $9.99 |
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Old-Fashioned Bubble Lights |
| Add a whimsical touch to your holiday décor with these old-fashioned bubble lights. Popular in the late 1940s and '50s, the lights feature colorful rounded bases with slender liquid-filled vials that glow with light and bubble when they warm up. Perfect for the tree or mantle. Set has seven lights. May be connected with additional bubble light sets (sold separately) to a maximum of 60 bulbs. Bulbs remain lit if one bulb burns out. Replaceable fuse plug; spare fuse included. |
| PRICE: $9.99 |
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| Cascade/Curtain Light Set |
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| Cascading Lights give the effect of a wall or curtain of lights. Very similar to icicle lights but much longer. Cascade lights come seven foot in length and six foot six inch height. |
| PRICE: $14.99 |
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Chili Pepper Lights |
| Chili peppers on 6 inch spacing. 35 lights per string. Choice of green or red peppers on a green wire. Standard male 110 volt Plug. 16 foot six inch Long. Very Realistic looking. |
| PRICE: $9.99 |
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| The Mini-Lights come in Several Colors Including: |
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blue
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clear
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green
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m u l t i
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pink
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purple
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red
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teal
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yellow
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Name: Kevin
Comments:
Wow!!! I never really paid that much attention to how many different light types there are! Good review!
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