How Did Christmas Lights Begin?

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In this festive episode of I Wonder, kid host Easton takes listeners on a glowing journey through the history of Christmas lights, from ancient candles and firelight to today’s colorful, programmable LEDs. Along the way, discover how holiday lights helped spread electricity, brightened long winter nights, and became a symbol of warmth, hope, and togetherness. A perfect listen for curious families during the holiday season.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker (00:02):
Hey there, Curious Minds.
Welcome to I Wonder, the showwhere we explore the questions
you've been wondering about.
I'm Easton, and I'm excited tobe your narrator today.
We heard from listeners thatthey wanted to hear more kids'
voices, so I'm here to helpbring today's episode to life.
And honestly, I've alwayswanted to try hosting an
episode, so thank you forletting me jump in.

(00:23):
Before we get started, rememberyou can send your own questions
anytime at iWonderPodcast.com.
We use these ideas to make newepisodes.
Today we're exploring somethingthat appears everywhere during
the holiday season, Christmaslights.
They line rooftops, wrap aroundtrees, brighten city streets,
and turn neighborhoods intocolorful displays.

(00:46):
But how did lights become sucha big part of winter
celebrations?
And how did we go from candlesto LEDs that can change color
with a tap of your phone?
The story of Christmas lightsis really the story of how
humans bring brightness into thedarkest time of the year.

(01:13):
To understand where thistradition begins, we have to go
back long before electricityexisted.
In many places around theworld, winter meant short days
and very long nights.
For thousands of years, peoplelit fires, torches, and candles
during the darkest weeks of theyear to remind themselves that
light would return.

(01:33):
These celebrations weren'tcalled Christmas, but they
shared a simple idea.
When the world felt cold anddim, light brought comfort and
hope.
Centuries later, in the 1500s,in parts of Germany, people
began ringing evergreen treesindoors during Christmas.
And eventually they addedcandles to them.
Yes, real candles with tinyflames attached to the branches.

(01:57):
Families lit them only for afew minutes, and everyone stayed
close with buckets of waterjust in case.
Before those few minutes, theglow of the candlelight
reflecting off the dark greenneedles must have felt warm,
peaceful, and special.
That was the beginning ofChristmas lights as we know
them.
Everything changed in 1882.

(02:22):
That's when Edward Johnson, whoworked with Thomas Edison,
created the first string ofelectric Christmas lights.
He wrapped 80 small bulbs, red,white, and blue, around a tree
in his New York City home andinvited people to see it.
For most visitors, this wastheir first time ever seeing
electric lights.
Newspapers wrote about how thetree glowed without a single

(02:46):
flame.
It was safe, bright, andcompletely new.
But here's the surprising part.
Early electric lights wereincredibly expensive.
A single strand would cost morethan a month's salary.
Sometimes people even rentedChristmas lights for the season
instead of buying them.
Because of the high price, bigdepartment stores and wealthy

(03:08):
families were the first to useelectric lights.
But those displays attractedcrowds, and those crowds helped
something important happen.
Christmas lights convincedpeople that electricity was
worth having in their homes.
Before Christmas lights,electricity felt mysterious and
even a little scary.
But a glowing holiday tree madeelectricity seem beautiful and
useful.

(03:29):
Light companies realized thisand started using holiday
displays to show just howimpressive electric lights could
be.
In a way, Christmas lightshelped speed up the spread of
electricity across NorthAmerica.
They made people want the powerto create that soft winter glow

(03:51):
in their homes.
As electricity became morecommon, Christmas lights also
began to change.
At first, all lights were whitebecause that was the only type
of bulb that existed.
But soon manufacturers startedhand painting bulbs in different
colors.
Red and green arrived first,then blue, yellow, and

(04:12):
eventually whole strands ofmulti-colored lights.
By the early 1900s, stores usedhuge glowing displays to attract
holiday shoppers, and familiesdecorated both trees and windows
with colorful strands.
In the 1920s and 1930s, lightsgrew larger and brighter.

(04:33):
That's when the famous C6 andC7 bulbs were introduced.
Oval-shaped bulbs that glowedwith rich color and were sturdy
enough for outdoor use.
For the first time, peoplecould decorate the outside of
their homes, not just theirtrees.
Entire neighborhoods beganlighting up, and the idea of a
holiday display really took off.

(04:55):
Then came the 1950s and 60swhen bubble lights became
popular.
These lights had colorfulliquid inside that bubbled when
warmed by the bulb.
Kids loved watching them.
They looked like tiny lavallamps decorating the tree.
In 1970s and 80s, mini lightstook over.

(05:15):
These were small,cool-to-the-touch bulbs that
made it easy to wrap lightsaround trees, fences, and
bushes.
Suddenly, decorating became abigger and brighter than ever
before.
It was no longer just onestrand on a tree.
It was hundreds of tiny lightscreating a gentle shimmering
glow.

(05:35):
Today, most lights are LEDs, andLEDs changed everything.
They use far less energy, lasta long time, and stay cool.
They can shine in almost anycolor you can imagine, and some
can even shift from warm whiteto icy blue or fade through
rainbow patterns.
With LEDs, lights aren't justdecorations.

(05:58):
They're programmable displays.
Some flash to music, somesynchronized patterns, and some
create whole scenes that moveacross a house.
But even with all thattechnology, the reason we use
lights hasn't changed much.
Lights still make long wintersfeel warmer.
They make homes look welcomingwhen the world outside is cold
and quiet.

(06:19):
They help us celebrate, gather,and feel connected.
And whether it's a simplestring around a window or a
whole street lit up in differentcolors, the glow of holiday
lights reminds us of somethingpeople have known for thousands
of years.
Even in the darkest seasons, alittle light goes a long way.

(06:41):
Before we wrap up, take a momentto think about the lights in
your neighborhood.
Maybe there's a house that goesall out every year, or maybe
your family has a favorite colorthey always use.
Whatever your traditions looklike, they're part of a story
that started with candles, grewwith the electricity, and
continues to shine today.

(07:01):
Thanks for listening, and untilnext time, stay curious and keep
wondering.