Christmas lights

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christmas lights (also sometimes called fairy lights, twinkle lights or holiday lights in the United States) are strands of electric lights used to decorate homes, public/commercial buildings and Christmas trees during the Christmas season, mostly in the West. Christmas lights come in a dazzling array of configurations and colors. These lights are similar to Chanukkah lights or decorations. The small "midget" bulbs commonly known as fairy lights are also called Italian lights in some parts of the U.S., such as Chicago.

History

The first known electrically illuminated Christmas tree was the creation of Edward H. Johnson, an associate of inventor Thomas Edison. While he was vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, a predecessor of today's Con Edison electric utility, he had Christmas tree light bulbs especially made for him. He proudly displayed his Christmas tree, which was hand-wired with 80 red, white and blue electric incandescent light bulbs the size of walnuts, on December 22, 1882 at his home on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Local newspapers ignored the story, seeing it as a publicity stunt. However, it was published by a Detroit newspaper reporter, and Johnson has become widely regarded as the Father of Electric Christmas Tree Lights. By 1900, businesses started stringing up Christmas lights behind their windows.^[1] Christmas lights were too expensive for the average person; as such, electric Christmas lights did not become the majority replacement for candles until 1930.^[2]

In 1895, U.S. President Grover Cleveland proudly sponsored the first electrically lit Christmas tree in the White House. It was a huge specimen, featuring more than a hundred multicolored lights. The first commercially produced Christmas tree lamps were manufactured in strings of multiples of eight sockets by the General Electric Co. of Harrison, New Jersey. Each socket took a miniature two-candela carbon-filament lamp.

From that point on, electrically illuminated Christmas trees, but only indoors, grew with mounting enthusiasm in the United States and elsewhere. San Diego in 1904 and New York City in 1912 were the first recorded instances of the use of Christmas lights outside.^[3] McAdenville North Carolina claims to have been the first in 1956.^[4] The Library of Congress credits the town for inventing "the tradition of decorating evergreen trees with Christmas lights dates back to 1956 when the McAdenville Men's Club conceived of the idea of decorating a few trees around the McAdenville Community Center."^[5] However, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has had "lights" since 1931, but did not have real electric lights until 1956.^[6] Furthermore, Philadelphia's Christmas Light Show and Disney's Christmas Tree also began in 1956.^[7][8] Though General Electric sponsored community lighting competitions during the 1920s, it would take until the mid 1950s for the use of such lights to be adopted by average households.

Over a period of time, strings of Christmas lights found their way into use in places other than Christmas trees. Soon, strings of lights adorned mantles and doorways inside homes, and ran along the rafters, roof lines, and porch railings of homes and businesses. In recent times, many city skyscrapers are decorated with long mostly-vertical strings of a common theme, and are activated simultaneously in Grand Illumination ceremonies.

Types

The types of lamps used in Christmas lighting sets may be based on a variety of technologies. Common lamp types are incandescent light bulbs and now Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Less common are neon lamp sets. Fluorescent lamp sets were produced for a limited time by Sylvania in the mid-1940s.^[9]

Incandescent

Incandescent lamps produce a broad-spectrum white light, and are colored by coating the glass envelope with a transparent or translucent paint which acts as a color filter. Some early Japanese-made lamps, however, used colored glass.^[10] Though less expensive, the painted lamps suffer from fading or flaking of the paint when exposed to weather. Older bulbs were also coated on the insides of the bulbs to prevent this effect, but were more costly to manufacture.

Bubble Lights

Bubble lights are a type of incadescent novelty light that acquired some popularity during the 1950s. Their main feature is a sealed glass tube with a colored bubbling liquid inside. While the idea was first demonstrated by Benjamin Franklin, the idea was adapted for use in Christmas Lights. They were invented by Carl Otis in 1935, who then sold the patents to the NOMA Electric Corporation. There is a long story involving patent fights.^[11] Bubble Lights can still be purchased online and in stores to this day.

LED

There are two types of LEDs: colored LEDs and white LEDS. Colored LEDs emit a specific color light (monochromatic light), regardless of the color of the transparent plastic lens that encases the LED's chip. The plastic may be colored for cosmetic reasons, but does not substantially affect the color of the light emitted. Because the light is determined by the LED's chip rather than the plastic lens, Christmas lights of this type do not suffer from color fading. In addition, the plastic lens is much more durable than the glass envelope of incandescent bulbs.

White LEDs are similar to colored LEDs in most respects (power, durability, etc), but utilize a two-stage process to create the white (polychromatic, or broad spectrum) light. In the first stage, the LED actually only produces one color of light, similar to any other LED, but this "color" is ultraviolet, in a frequency range that our eyes cannot detect. In the second stage, the ultraviolet energy is absorbed by a phosphor which fluoresces, producing the broad spectrum of colors which our eyes perceive as "white". This is essentially the same process used in fluorescent lamps, but using an LED to create the ultraviolet light, rather than an excited gas plasma.

White LEDs can be used as white Christmas lights, or can be used to create any other color through the use of colored refractors and lenses, similar to the more commonly used incandescent bulbs. Color fading may therefore occur, due to the exposure of colored plastics to sunlight or heat, as with ordinary Christmas lights.

LEDs use much less electricity and have a much greater lifespan than incandescent lamps. Since they are constructed from solid state materials, and have no metallic filaments to burn out or break, LEDs also are much less susceptible to breakage due to impact or rough handling.^[12]

Although LEDs themselves are long life devices, strands of LED based Christmas lights can suffer from early failure. Most LED based Christmas lights use copper wire, which connect to the aluminium based wires of the LEDs. The effects of mixing copper and aluminium metals in household wiring results in Galvanic corrosion, and the lights corrode inside of their sockets and stop working.

Fiber Optic

Fiber optic technology is also used in Christmas lighting, especially by incorporating it into artificial Christmas trees. Incandescent lamps or LEDs are located in the tree base and many optic fibers extend from the lamps to the ends of the tree branches. These devices frequently use a step-down transformer, because they have only one or two lamps or LEDs.

Power considerations

Incandescent or LED-based sets usually have each lamp connected in series to be powered without a transformer in the set. LED-based sets use a current-limiting resistor to reduce the current supplied to each LED. Neon-lamp-based sets have lamps connected in parallel, each with its own current-limiting resistor. Battery-powered sets are also wired in parallel.

Some incandescent or LED-based strings use a power supply transformer with lamps connected in parallel. These sets are much safer, but there is a voltage drop at the end of the string causing reduced brightness of the lamps at the end of the set. The reduced brightness is, however, less noticeable with LED-based sets than incandescent sets. Power supplies with integrated plugs may make the set difficult to connect in certain places.

Control Technology

Christmas lights can be animated using special "flasher" or "interrupter" bulbs or by electronic controller. Flasher bulbs use a bi-metallic strip which interrupts the series circuit when the lamp becomes hot.^[13] An electronic Christmas light controller usually has a diode bridge followed by a resistor-based voltage divider, a filter capacitor and a fixed-program microcontroller. The micro-controller has three or four outputs which are connected to transistors or thyristor which control interleaved circuits, each with lamps of a single color.

Controllers can be set up to change flashing or animation styles by pressing a button or turning a dial on the unit; others have only one pattern, but the speed of this pattern can usually be adjusted by turning a similar dial. Music can be transmitted over an FM radio to minimize noise in the neighborhood.

Most multi-function sets feature 8 to 16 moving light functions. Some very common functions are fading and chasing. More extravagant and less common functions are stepping on and 2-channel flashing. These lights usually come in sets of 140 or 150. This is because to give the chasing effect, bulbs must be arranged in 4 circuits of 35 (equals 140) or 3 circuits of 50 (equals 150). These light sets use even less power than a regular set of 150 because the lights are not always on, and therefore the bulbs do not get as hot.

Usually, computerized sets cannot be connected end-to-end. However, some newer sets contain special miniature plugs - a "female" plug is located at the end of the set, and a "male" plug is located between the control box and the beginning of the actual lights. By disconnecting the control box from one set, it can now be plugged into the end of an identical chasing set to produce a longer strand of chasing lights. These plugs generally have a twist-on locking feature similar to that found on garden hoses.

Fiber-optic Christmas lighting can also be animated electronically, particularly when the set incorporates LEDs. When an incandescent lamp is used, animation can created by means of a rotating color wheel.

Computer controlled outdoor displays have become an hobby for many homeowners.^[14] Carson Williams^[15] created a video of his house which garnered national attention in 2005 from The Today Show on NBC, Inside Edition and the CBS Evening News and was featured in a Miller television commercial.^[16][17] The show had generated so much street traffic and even an accident that it was discontinued, but in 2006, Williams turned his hobby into a commercial venture, and was commissioned to scale up his vision to a scale of 250,000 lights at a Denver shopping center, as well as displays in parks and zoos.^[18] coordinated with precision to music using an elaborate computer control system.[1].

Sizes

Note that the following may be particular to North America, and may vary in countries with mains other than 120 volts.

Christmas lighting began with small C6 bulbs -- C meaning "candle" for the flame shape, and 6 meaning ⁶⁄₈ths of an inch (³⁄₄ inch, or 19 mm) in diameter. These were on a miniature candelabra screw-base, now designated E10 (Edison screw, 10 mm). Replicas of these bulbs are now produced as miniature strings, usually with the entire bulb replaced, but sometimes as a decorative cover with regular bulbs inside. These bulbs tend to be transparent white or colors, and are often ornately designed with crystal-like patterns.

Later bulbs were called C7½, being 7½/8ths inch (¹⁵⁄₁₆ths, or 24 mm) in diameter, however these have a blunt shape (and should therefore be called B7½, or B24). Mixing metric and English units, there are also now G30 globes which are 30 mm (1+³⁄₁₆ inch, or G9½) in diameter that uses these sockets. These are still used for the classic or even retro look, and use about five watts each. Older bulbs drew 7½ watts of power, and were reduced to save power. Early bulbs, as well as some new antique reproductions, are made in various shapes and then painted like Christmas ornaments. Bubble lights and twinkle bulbs also come in this size.

Outdoor-only bulbs are designated C9¼ (1+⁵⁄₃₂ inch or 29 mm), and have a similar blunt shape as the C7½, but an E17 "intermediate" base. Some modern versions of these strings are now listed for indoor and outdoor use. These bulbs are rated at about seven watts each, and also now come in a globe shape, designated G40 (40mm or 1+⁹⁄₁₆). Some of the blunt-shape bulbs now come painted with designs, or swirled in more than one color. It is now very difficult to find twinkle bulbs in this size.

Standard mini bulbs are T1¾, indicating that they are a tube shape ⁷⁄₃₂ inch or 5.5 mm in diameter. Larger mini bulbs, which began appearing around 2004, are about twice this size, but are still very uncommon. Both types, along with most of the candle-shaped ones, are pinched-off at the tip rather than the base during manufacturing. Most contemporary miniature light bulbs have an internal shunt that is intended to activate when the bulb's filament burns out. The shunt closes the circuit across the bad filament, restoring continuity and illuminating the rest of the string. However, if one shunt fails to close properly, the whole string will fail to light.

Other miniature types include globe-shaped "pearl" and smaller "button" lights, which are often painted in translucent or pearlescent colors. "Rice" lights are tiny, like a grain of rice, and can even have a subminiature base, if they are not already fixed permanently to the wires (on low-voltage sets). Rice lights are typically transparent, although colored variations do exist. They are intended to create tiny points of light, and are suitable for decorating miniature models, small wreaths, and for other similar situations in which even "midget" T1¾ lights may be too large.

LED lights, which are encased in solid plastic rather than a hollow glass bulb, may be molded into any shape. Because of the way the LED casts light in only one direction, this is the most common way to design LED lighting, with even "plain" sets having some sort of crystal pattern to create refraction.

Many bargain brands have dome-shaped LEDs which focuses the light to where it is sharply visible when viewed head-on, but almost invisible from a perpendicular viewpoint. This has both advantages and disadvantages according to one's decorating needs.

If a small LED bulb size but wider viewing perspective is desired, wide-angle LEDs are available. Rather than being dome-shaped (convex), the envelope is concave (sunken in) to cause wider distribution of light.

All miniature bulbs (including some LED sets) have a wedge base, though the exact design of each is inconsistent, making it somewhat difficult for the average consumer to change bulbs. To replace a bulb, the plastic base of the bulb must usually be changed by straightening the two wires and pulling the glass part out. Most replacement bulbs do not even include the bases anymore, despite getting only ten in a package and being charged nearly half what an entirely new string of 100 costs. For this reason, many Americans treat mini Christmas lights as being disposable, in addition to colored lights tending to fade even with only brief exposure to weathering. Many LED sets are coming permanently wired, with bases that look like conventional pull-out bulbs.

Light Sets

Traditional C6 bulbs were typically 15 Volts, and used in series strings of eight bulbs, or multiples of 8. The use of eight bulbs (120 Volts/8 lamps = 15 Volts per lamp) gives each lamp the rated voltage for proper brightness. Later sets used nine bulbs on a string to increase the life of the bulbs by reducing the voltage each lamp received (120 Volts / 9 lamps = 13.33 Volts per bulb) but not significantly reducing the light output of the bulbs.

Large C7½ and C9¼ bulbs typically come in sets of 25, though bubble lights come in sets of seven, and some non-holiday sets come in ten or twelve. Sockets are usually spaced about one foot or 30 cm apart, and are clamped to the wire with an integrated insulation-piercing connector. Some older parallel sets had 15 bulbs, as do some of the newer globe sets manufactured today.

Miniatures first came in sets of 35 (3.5 volts per bulb), and sometimes smaller sets of 20 (6 volts per bulb). Sets of ten (12 volts per bulbs) were made for very small trees, but are quite hot, and are now usually used for tree toppers only. This number is convenient for stars, which have a total of ten points (five outward and five inward), and often have another light in the middle, occasionally on both sides.

Incandescent miniatures now usually come in sets of 50 or 100 (which contains two circuits of 50), though decorative sets with larger bulbs (C6 or pearl style) typically come in 35 or 70. Several "extra-bright" sets also use 70 or 105 bulbs, keeping the per-bulb voltage at 3.5 instead of 2.5.

LED sets can vary greatly. Common is a set of 60 (2 volts per bulb), but white LED sets use two circuits of 30 (4 volts per bulb). Multicolor sets may have special wiring, because red and yellow require less voltage than the newer blue-based ones (blue, emerald green and fluorescent white), but typically come in sets with a multiple of 35.

Battery-powered sets typically come in 10 or 12, and can use standard 2.5 to 3.5-volt bulbs because they run two batteries, totaling three volts or less. LEDs are becoming increasingly common as they greatly prolong battery life, but because they also last longer they are often soldered directly to the wires, making up for some of the increased cost of the newer LEDs. 'Rice lights" are often made this way as well, and likewise may also have more bulbs per set as they draw somewhat less power per bulb than other incandescents.

Ornamentation

Early bulbs were sometimes made in shapes and painted, the same way that glass ornaments are. These are typically pressed glass, much as common dishware was at the time. These are reproduced in very limited quantity nowadays, typically found only at specialty retailers and online. Metal reflectors were also used until the 1970s, having a center hub of cardboard, which then had tabs that pressed between the bulb and the socket.

Miniature lights sets can come with attached ornaments, typically plastic but somestimes glass. These began mid-century with petal "reflectors" which actually refracted the light and focused it in beams, and perhaps even earlier with crystal-like ones. On both types, the bulb stuck out of the center, and the "reflector" could be removed from the socket. Later designs, though much less popular, included stars. LED lights now come molded into shapes, though the light comes from the top instead of the center.

Mini lights can also have full-size ornaments normally sold on sets of ten. Certain sets have more than one bulb per ornament, such as for snowmen and candy canes which are long. There is an enormous array of other designs, ranging from holly berries and poinsettias to star-shaped santas and wire mesh snowflakes. There are also ones for other holidays.

Safety

The number of strands of continuous light sets that may be safely conjoined varies based on whether the lights are LEDs, ordinary miniature light bulbs, or the larger C7/C9 type light bulbs. Other factors include the voltage of the set and the size of the wiring in the set. Those with questions should consult the manufacturer's instructions or an electrician.

Most light sets come with built in fuses to help protect against overheating and to prevent household fuses or circuit breakers from being tripped. If a fuse blows, the strand must be unplugged and the number of lights must be reduced. If the strand has nothing attached, or has blown repeatedly, it may contain a short circuit and should be discarded.

Many light sets may contain traces of lead, and consumers should wash hands thoroughly after handling these products, especially before eating. Proposition 65 of California requires that if products contain lead or traces of lead then a warning must be printed on packing of products. One must be sure to check the label for this and any additional warnings.

Outdoor displays

In the U.S. from the 1960s, beginning in tract housing, it became increasingly the custom to completely outline the house (but particularly the eaves) with weatherproof Christmas lights. The Holiday Trail of Lights is a joint effort by cities in east Texas and northwest Louisiana that had its origins in the Festival of Lights and Christmas Festival in Natchitoches, started in 1927, making it one of the oldest light festivals in the United States.

It is often a pastime to drive around neighborhoods in the evening to see the lights displayed on and around other homes. While some homes have no lights, others may have incredibly ornate displays which require weeks to construct. A rare few have even made it to the Extreme Christmas TV specials shown on HGTV, at least one requiring a generator and another requiring separate electrical service to supply the amount of electrical power required.

A holiday tradition that started in Richmond, Virginia is a "Tacky Light Tour," begun in 1986 by Barry "Mad Dog" Gottlieb as the "Tacky Xmas Decoration Contest and Grand Highly Illuminated House Tour". People either sign up for a tour, or drive around to find houses that are the tackiest. Most of the houses on this tour are completely covered in Christmas lights, similar to the way Clark Griswold decorated his house in the movie Christmas Vacation. Many people in Richmond, and other cities as well, strive to have the tackiest house in the city.

Light sculptures

Lights are sometimes mounted on frames -- typically metal for large lights and plastic for miniature ones. These started on lampposts, street lights, and telephone poles in cities and towns with large C7 bulbs, but by the 1990s were being made in smaller form with miniature lights for home use. Public displays often have outdoor-rated garland on the frame as well, making them very decorative even in the daytime. Annual displays in Oxford Street, London, England are adored by the public and local businesses alike, have been erected for decades and will continue to do so with the help of companies like Piggotts [2]. Consumer types now tend to come with a plastic sheet backing printed in the proper design, and in the 2000s now with nearly photographic quality graphics and usually on a holographic "laser" backing.

Light sculptures are still the main form of public displays such as in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge in Tennessee.

Other holidays

In the United States, "Christmas" lights have been produced for many other holidays. These may be simple sets in typical holiday colors, or the type with plastic ornaments which the light socket fits into. Light scultures are also produced in typical holiday icons.

Halloween is the most popular, with miniature light strings having black-insulated wires and semi-opaque orange bulbs. Later sets had some transparent purple bulbs (a representation of black, similar to blacklight), a few even have transparent green, or a translucent or semi-opaque lime green (possibly representing slime as in Ghostbusters, or creatures like goblins or space aliens). Two types of icicle lights are sold at Halloween: all-orange, and a combination of purple and green known as "slime lights."

Easter lights are often produced in pastels. These typically have white wire and connectors.

Red, white, and blue lights are produced for Independence Day, as well as U.S. flag and other patriotic-themed ornaments. Net lights have been produced with the lights in a U.S. flag pattern. In 2006 some stores carried stakes with LEDs that light fiber-optics, looking similar to fireworks.

Various types of patio lighting with no holiday theme are also made for summertime. These are often clear white lights, but most are ornament sets, such as lanterns made of metal or bamboo, or plastic ornaments in the shape of barbecue condiments, flamingos and palm trees, or even various beers. Some are made of decorative wire or mesh, in abstract shapes such as dragonflies, often with glass "gems" or marbles. Light sculptures are also made in everything from wire-mesh frogs to artificial palm trees outlined in rope lights.

Trivia

• In the 1989 film National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the character played by Chevy Chase attempts to follow American family Christmas traditions with elaborate Christmas lights and decorations on the exterior of the family home. He then attempts a "Grand Illumination" outside the house.

• In the 2006 film Deck the Halls, the characted played by Danny DeVito tries to cover his house with enough Christmas lights for it to be visible from space.

• The Oklahoma alternative rock band Flaming Lips became known in their early days for covering their instruments in Christmas lights.

Notes

1. ^ Christmas Lights and Community Building in America.
2. ^ Ibid.
3. ^ Ibid.
4. ^ http://www.mcadenville-christmastown.com/cthistory.htm
5. ^ http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/legacies/NC/200003236.html
6. ^ http://www.wnbc.com/christmastree/1775354/detail.html
7. ^ http://www.wanamakerorgan.com/xmas.html
8. ^ http://www.christmastree.org/famous.cfm
9. ^ Nelson, George. The War Years: 1941-1945. The Antique Christmas Lights Museum.
10. ^ Nelson, George. The Evolution of the Series-Type Christmas Light Bulb. The Antique Christmas Lights Museum.
11. ^ Nelson, George. The History of Bubble Lights. The Antique Christmas Lights Museum.
12. ^ Light Emitting Diodes
13. ^ How Christmas Lights Work. How Stuff Works.
14. ^ Planet Christmas
15. ^ http://www.oxfordpress.com/sports/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/22/pj112206masonlights.html Meet the light show designer, Carson Williams
16. ^ links to house light videos, including Miller Lite commercial
17. ^ Wizards in Winter. ConSar Lights Portfolio.
18. ^ Let There Be Lights

External links

• Controllable Christmas Lights for Celiac Disease
• One family's Christmas light display in northeast England for Charity
• Tacky Light Tour - Christmas Lights Tour
• George Nelson's Antique Christmas Lights site
• Richmond, Virginia's Tacky Xmas Decoration Contest and Grand Highly Illuminated House Tour
• Morris Propp and His Contribution to Electric Christmas Lights
• 100 Miles of Lights