![]() By 1927, 15 companies emerged under the National Outfit Manufacturers Association (NOMA) name. Sadacca realized the potential, but knew his own limitations and reached out to other companies to form a trade association. It allowed several series of paralleled-wired lights to be connected together. New technology allowed more bulbs per wire.Īlbert Sadacca, who started selling Christmas lights at his family’s company in 1917, created the “tachon” connector in 1925. These parties were exciting social events for the youth of high society.Īs wiring techniques improved-and became weatherproof-the industry grew. Rich families hosted Christmas tree parties to show off their fancy, lighted trees. The yearly median household income was just $750, so the new rage was limited to the wealthy. At the time, it cost up to $300 to wire a home. The majority of America still lived without electricity. Only eight bulbs could be attached to a wire.īy 1900, the first advertisements for electric Christmas lights hit consumers, but few could afford the luxury. These first bulbs were heavy and bulky and had to be individually attached to a wire on the tree. In 1890, Edison sold the light bulb to General Electric (GE), which commercialized the Christmas light. Edward Johnson electrified the first Christmas tree with lights in 1882. The New York Times and publications around the country reported on the dazzling beauty of Johnson’s rotating, electrically-lit tree. ![]() The Father of Christmas Lights title is bestowed upon Edison’s business associate, Edward Johnson, who electrified the first Christmas tree with lights in 1882. Thomas Edison is synonymous with electric light, but he doesn’t get the credit for Christmas lights. ![]() This modern, Americanized use of lights during the holiday season centers, of course, on the invention of electricity. Druids, pagans, and others have celebrated the return of light long before electric light.Ĭandles have long been associated with winter holidays of different religions-from the lighting of the menorah during Hanukkah and the kinara in Kwanzaa celebrations to early German Christians who placed candles on the branches of evergreens to resemble the starlight reflection on the winter trees.īut often when we think of holidays and lights, we think of twinkling or colored lights of different shapes and sizes. The winter solstice is an age-old celebration of light. Lighting Yule logs during the dark December solstice dates back thousands of years. The concept of light during winter reaches into many religious traditions. For years, the bubble light was a popular alternative for traditional Christmas lights on the tree. But when did the American tradition of Christmas lights start and who is responsible for it? In 1946, the National Outfit Manufacturers Association introduced the Bubble light-a liquid-filled capsule that when lighted by an incandescent bulb, causes bubbling, creating a colorful and animated effect. ![]() As Thanksgiving blends into the background of the winter holidays, ornate displays of Christmas lights illuminating neighborhoods, city streets, and shopping centers have arrived. The turkey is long gone and the dishes have been put away. ![]() Her master’s thesis, “Christmas Lights in America: The Intersections of a Modern Christmas, American Culture, and Postwar Suburbia,” focuses on the history of Christmas lights and their importance to American culture throughout the twentieth century. The shades can be dusted and when necessary washed with a soft sponge and soapy water.Kerri Dean completed her master’s degree at CGU in 2015 and is currently a doctoral student in the history department. Coated and brushed metal and nickel frame top and bottom ring. In honour of HAY's partnership with Herman Miller, HAY have become the distributor of George Nelson's iconic Bubble Lamp. The collection is featured in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. These sculptural lights consist of a rubber impregnated fabric forming a strong but translucent covering over the metal framework. The first Bubble Lamp was designed by George Nelson in 1947. ![]()
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