Before the creation of Christmas fairy lights, candles were used to create a festive glow. The candles were placed on trees, sporadically placed to highlight the ornaments. As the trees would dry out though, this became a serious fire hazard. Also, due to the high cost of candles they were only used by the wealthy.
Eventually small glass lanterns and globes were used to help increase the safety of the homes. In 1882 Edward Johnson the assistant to Thomas Edison, created the first strand of Christmas lights consisting of eighty small light bulbs. Then, in 1917 a house fire caused by candles on a Christmas tree led Albert Sadecca to create safety lights, eventually leading to the creation of the biggest lighting company in the world and is better known as NOMA Electric Company. The creation of the safety lights meant that they could be used to decorate the outside of homes. The lights began to appear on roofs and shrubbery highlighting the Christmas decor and making the neighbourhoods more festive. Originally the bulbs were large and highly energy consuming usually meaning that only the wealthy or higher middle class could afford to run the bulbs.
The colour trend of bulbs has changed over time. The original fairy lights were made up of mixed colours and the bulbs gradually got smaller. Then the trends turned to strands of all blue lights and were eventually mixed with the white lights. While, single strands of lights in any colour are traditional, over time new styles were created such as the icicle lights and the net lights that made decorating outside shrubs much easier. The net lights can be easily thrown over bushes and short trees to add symmetrical colour without much work and, as easy as the lights are to put on, they are just as easy to take off and store, making them a popular choice over the past few holidays. Also, because of the advances in technology, Christmas fairy lights have become smaller, allowing for new and innovative ways to use them.
The latest technology has the tiniest LED lights on bendable silver wire creating a lighted garland perfect for the holidays or any occasion. LED's or light emitting diodes are the latest in light technology and have become the bulb of choice for most holiday celebrators. LED's are one of the most energy efficient bulbs on the market. Not only do they save electricity, meaning that your cost of living will be less but, the bulbs are longer lasting than the traditional bulbs and will have to be replaced less often. This will keep the maintenance cost down. With the combined energy efficiency and low cost of maintenance, this can be a great option for home owners who love to decorate! If LED's and the thought of saving money, do not appeal to you then there is still the option of traditional bulbs. No matter what style you choose, you can be sure that your home will be beautiful!
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