3 of 3

Write now Article Tools

ILLUMINATING THE CHRISTMAS TREE

The practice of using small candles to decorate Christmas tree's is said to date back to the middle of the 17th century in Germany.
However it was to be 150 years before the custom became firmly established.
In the beginning the candles where made of tallow, derived from animal fat, which gave off equal amounts of smoke and odor.

There was also the risk of the tree catching fire although tree's were normally cut fresh of Christmas eve and therefore more difficult to ignite however a bucket of water always stood by the tree just in case.
The first candles were glued to the branches with wax but eventually candleholders appeared and then an American called Frederick Artz invented a candle holder made of tin with a tray to catch the drips of wax and a spring clip to attach it to the branch.
A Christmas tree was lit by electricity for the first time in New York in 1882 when Edward Johnson, a colleague of Thomas Edison, lit a Christmas tree with a string of 80 small electric light bulbs which he had made himself.
As the bulbs were all hand made they were two expensive to be commercial viable however by 1900 some large stores put up large illuminated trees to attract customers.
It was in 1903 when The Every Ready Company of New York began to make strings of 28 lights which cost the equivalent of a week's wages.
It wasn't until 1927 when the General Electric Company of America produced strings of miniature bulbs like we get today.

Learn more about this author, Paul Curtis.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Lighting your artificial Christmas tree?
We want to hear your view. Write now!