Christmas lights have been symbolic of the holiday season for generations, evolving from simple candlelit trees to customizable displays of innovation, color, and creativity. From humble beginnings in the 19th century to their modern app-controlled form, these iconic decorations hold a fascinating history full of interesting facts.
In this article, we’ll take you on a bright and merry journey through the most interesting Christmas light trivia, from history to surprising facts. Like, when were they invented? Did people really use candles on their trees? (Spoiler alert: they did). Whether you’re a fan of classic bulbs or smart Christmas lights, there’s something magical to discover about this beloved holiday tradition.
1. Christmas lights were invented in 1880 by Thomas Edison
One year after he invented the lightbulb, Thomas Edison invented the first-ever string of Christmas lights in Menlo Park, New Jersey. He used them to decorate outside his laboratory during Christmas 1880, creating the first electrical string light display in history.
Two years later, Edison’s business partner and friend, Edward H. Johnson, hand-wired a string of 80 red, white, and blue light bulbs together and wrapped them around a Christmas tree, creating the first electric-powered decorative lighting for Christmas trees.
It took 15 years, but electric string lights made their public debut in 1895 when the White House Christmas tree, in Washington D.C. was illuminated with hundreds of electric lights for the first time. This event was incredibly important increasing the popularity of Christmas tree lights. So, as electricity made its way into homes, a new era of Christmas traditions was set in motion.
2. Christmas lights were first made available to the public in 1903
The surprising face is that it took over 20 years after their invention for the production of Christmas lights to take off when General Electric began offering pre-assembled light kits. Before pre-assembled kits were introduced, Christmas tree lights were only available to the wealthy because they could afford a professional electrician to assemble and install them. The average family used candles to illuminate their Christmas trees. As you can imagine, this created significant fire hazards. While today we consider LED lights a safer choice compared to traditional bulbs, at the time, the incandescent bulb truly provided a safer alternative.
3. LED Christmas lights were only introduced to the public in the late 1990s
The LED light was actually invented in 1962. Nick Holonyack of General Electric introduced the first LED, which was red. However, in 1977 the 2D LED was invented and it could produce any color of the rainbow (plus white) based on the RGB color model. This is a huge technological leap because the traditional Christmas light couldn’t change colors since it depended on the shade of the glass bulb.
In the late 1990s, LEDs made their way into the world of decorative Christmas lights, hitting shelves and illuminating homes.
But they still took time to catch on. In 2007, more than 40 years after the invention of the first LED, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City shone with 100% LED lights.
4. Twinkly invented the first ever mappable Christmas lights in 2016
While app-controlled Christmas lights started making appearances around the early 2010s, it wasn’t until 2013-2014 that the first significant products entered the homes of everyday consumers. In 2016, Twinkly technology gave users control of each single LED in a string of LED lights. This innovation allowed anyone to map Christmas lights – no matter how the strings were positioned - via their smartphone camera and the free Twinkly App. This mapping feature enabled unprecedented control over holiday light displays, letting users easily create complex patterns, animations, and effects tailored to their decorations – especially 3D decorations like trees. Users can create their own precise patterns, even drawing with their fingertips using a palette of over 16 million colors.
5. LEDs use up to 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs
LED lighting has slowly replaced traditional bulbs for many reasons, two of the biggest being cost and energy efficiency. LEDs use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and LED Christmas lights can last 30 times longer. They help save money on electricity consumption and on replacement bulbs. Light bulbs create light through incandescence – heating a wire filament to release energy and light. Those old enough remember not being able to touch a hot lightbulb that’s on because it would burn your finger – or movie characters in the 1980s fake a fever by holding the thermometer near a light bulb.
LEDs, on the other hand, are so small they are measured in millimeters and operate by electroluminescence, where a device emits light as electrical current flows through it. LEDs emit little heat and are far safer, reducing fire risk.
References: U.S. Department of Energy, Library of Congress
