True, prior to electric lights, people actually used real burning candles to brighten up the greenery. That method was used for many years and it looked great. While certainly providing better and more sentimental lighting, it was soon considered to be too dangerous and probably contributed to the advent of Fire Departments and firetrucks. In the end, it was deemed far better to utilize electric lights, thus being able to greet the new year with the home still intact.

Subsequent Christmas lights were made with the earlier candles in mind. They were larger and brighter, and they were shaped like candles. They definitely evoked the memory of real candles and their glow, surrounded by fake “snow”, seemed to bring out the best in Christmas greetings cards and as seen through a window. Their prominence in traditional Christmases is iconic and endearing. The candles in themselves have become another great traditional symbol of the festive season.

However; it must be said that even those lights had their flaws. The heat generated from those vintage Christmas lights also caused fires when placed too close to the wrong kind of decoration or tinsel. And, the electricity required was more than contemporary Christmas lights require. What’s more, often, when decorating the tree, a light bulb would break off. Replacing them could be tricky if the metal “stem” was still in the socket. If you didn’t unplug the cord, you were in for a shock. And, even if you did the dutiful unplugging, you then had to wrangle the “stem” out by gentle means, indeed, or fingers got cut and the potential for blood-poisoning came into the picture. They were beautiful, yes, but still dangerous and expensive. That being said, there are still traditional style Christmas lights available. They are now made safer, but still have that vintage Christmas lights look to them. And, they still summon old-fashioned Christmas greetings when displayed with old-fashioned decorations.

The newer, more contemporary light bulbs are usually much smaller, more easily replaced, and use much less electricity, besides being less likely to invoke firetrucks. They have acquired a certain charm in their tininess; resembling stars instead of candles. Some people will mix the two styles for yet an entirely different look. Yet, again, some people choose to not have any lights at all! So, put that in your stocking and hang it!

No matter how you trim your holiday, Christmas trees will always be a treasured fixture for Christmas, be they made of pine, fir, or tinfoil. Just be cautious about the electrical concerns. Yule be glad you did!

Solar Christmas lights do not plug into the wall but instead use a solar panel mounted on one end. This panel soaks up sunlight at daytime and converts it into electricity which is stored in a battery pack. AT night the lights are powered for several hours with no cost on your part. Lining the powered string is a series of LED light bulbs which come in various colors. Both single and multi colored string lights are available. Typical Christmas lights require you to route one or more extension cords, increasing the risk of electrical shock or fire. These lights run at a lower voltage and are much safer.

Solar string lights are easy to find a place for as they are flexible and lightweight. They can be mounted over windows and doors, or wrapped around structures like support columns and trees. A wide assortment of clips and sticky strips are available around Christmas time to aid in this task. LED bulbs last up to 100,000 hours, or practically a lifetime. If one is physically damaged, that can be replaced by popping out the old and inserting the new. Always mount the solar panel in an area which receives ample sunlight.

For an added touch, solar spot lights can be used to accent physical structures in the yard, such as a tree or whimsical Christmas figurine.