Christmas tree lights

Christmas trees really come alive the moment you turn on the lights. From that moment on, Christmas has come to your home for the duration of the holidays.

The act of lighting up a Christmas tree is as old as the tradition of Christmas trees themselves, and although they may not have had electricity, families of the past did very much the same as we do today.

People have been lighting up their Christmas trees since the 17th century but it took another couple of hundred years for it to really take off. By the 19th century it was a common practice in Germany and Eastern Europe, where candles were attached to the branches of the Christmas tree with melted wax or pins.

In the UK, Christmas tree lights came to prominence during the reign of Queen Victoria, who was impressed enough as a child on Christmas Eve 1832 to write in her diary about the beautifully lit Royal tree at Buckingham Palace.

It was also around this time that William Thomson, a British physicist, was asked by the London Savoy Theatre to light up the fairies in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, Iolanthe. For the opening night performance, battery powered lights were made in strings and attached to the dancing fairies. Ever since then, ‘fairy lights’ has been in common parlance for Christmas tree lights.

Today, lights are available in multiple colours; as nets, ropes and strings; for indoors and out as well as still or flashing. They are a commonplace feature of any Christmas tree, house, garden and even roof during the festive period.

Modern choices also cater for different styles with flame, icicle or cherry shaped bulbs and for those who want to hark back to the origins of Christmas tree lights, you can buy lights shaped like candles, without the fire hazard of the real thing.

There are also options today for the types of bulbs used. As well as the traditional incandescent bulbs, LED lights are now available. LED lights use much less energy than traditional bulbs and can last up to 30,000 hours. In addition, they are very durable and robust and if one goes the rest of the line carries on shining.

Whatever type of Christmas tree lights you end up getting, follow these simple steps to guide you when decorating your Christmas tree this year:

• Check that Christmas lights have been safety tested by the Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL).

• Plug them in to check the bulbs are working properly.

• Unplug them before making any adjustments, then re-plug them to check.

• Once checked and working, unplug them before you attempt to start decorating.

• Make sure the tree is positioned close to a power point and that you have enough slack on the Christmas tree light wire to reach the plug socket.

• Put the lights on the Christmas tree before any other decorations.

• Keep Christmas tree lights switched off until you have finished decorating your tree.

• When you eventually plug the lights in, ensure that the lead is out of harms way, so that it doesn’t pose a trip hazard.

• Keep Christmas lights and candles away from flammable objects.

• Keep the lights switched off when you leave the house or go to bed.