The Story of Christmas Lights: From Ancient Times to Today
Fun Facts and Modern Scale
Here are a few fun facts about Christmas lights. Over 150 million light sets are sold in the United States each year.
When you include the millions of tangled sets stored in attics, basements, closets, and garages, it adds up to a huge number of lights. About 80 million homeowners nationwide string them along rooftops, around doors and windows, drape them over bushes, and wrap them around tree trunks and branches. And that’s just outside! When turned on, they use about 6 percent of the country's electricity each December. But their origins were much simpler.
Candlelight Beginnings
The story of Christmas lights is one of warmth, creativity, and community spirit. It stretches from the candlelit trees of centuries ago to the dazzling public displays we enjoy now. Several milestones mark the history of Christmas lighting. Candlelit trees in 16th‑century Germany laid the foundation. Martin Luther is believed to have been the first to place candles on his tree as a teaching tool for his children. The candlelight symbolized the star that guided the Wise Men to Christ. Soon after, German families started placing candles on evergreen trees to represent Christ as the Light of the World.
Attached to limbs with wax or pins, the flickering flames looked beautiful but carried some inherent danger. Candle holders made burning them somewhat safer, but weren't introduced until 1900. Still, the effect of the candles was worth the risk. Their glow evoked a sense of reverence and wonder as they lit up ornaments. This new tradition of light became a spiritual symbol of hope and renewal, lasting more than two centuries.
The Arrival of Electric Lights
The invention of electric lights changed the holiday season. In 1882, Edward Johnson, a colleague of Thomas Edison, hand‑wired 80 red, white, and blue bulbs onto his Christmas tree in New York City. He placed his colorful string of lights on a Christmas tree that was visible to passersby on the street. It was an instant hit with the public. It marked the first use of electric Christmas lights, providing a safer, more dazzling alternative to candlelight.
About ten years later, in 1895, President Grover Cleveland introduced electric lights to the White House Christmas tree. This sparked public fascination with Christmas lighting and brought national attention to the tradition.
Expanding Traditions
By the early 20th century, companies like General Electric began selling Christmas light kits. As electricity became more widespread, especially in rural areas, lights extended from trees to homes, storefronts, and city streets. Colorful bulbs became popular in the 1920s and 1930s. By the 1960s, entire neighborhoods became festive lighting displays, turning Christmas lights into a shared tradition.
Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza
Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza is one of the most iconic examples of public Christmas lighting. The tradition started in 1925 when a single strand of lights was hung over the Mill Creek Building. By 1930, the first official lighting ceremony took place. Today, roughly 100,000 people gather each Thanksgiving to see the Plaza’s Spanish‑style architecture illuminated.
Clinton’s Holiday Glow
Closer to home, Clinton has long embraced the enchantment of Christmas lights. As early as 1929, the Clinton Eye described the square as “a most alluring picture of soft glowing lights amidst artistic evergreens and windows of magnetic beauty.” That year, a Christmas tree was placed next to each lamp post around the square. Spruce ropes were draped between posts, with lights and red garlands, and large wreaths spaced perfectly apart. Against the courthouse’s soft gray stone, the tower lights glowed “like smoke from a friendly chimney,” offering a scene that blended artistry with heartfelt tradition. At the four corners of the square, arches of spruce rope and lights were crowned with huge bells that swayed in the wind, proclaiming “Glad Tidings of Great Joy, Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men.”
By 1953, Clinton’s lighting had become even more enchanting. On December 3rd, as dusk fell, visitors to the square watched as it was “transformed into a Christmas fairyland.” A beautiful canopy of colored lights stretched over the streets, and a blaze of color reflected off the courthouse walls.
Enduring Spirit of Light
These vivid accounts remind us that Clinton’s holiday glow has been cherished for generations. Every year, Christmas lights turn the town square into a beacon of joy and a source of community pride.
Christmas lights brighten the long winter nights, stir nostalgia for childhood traditions, and inspire wonder in adults and children alike. Whether a single candle or thousands of bulbs strung across rooftops, Christmas lights remind us that the holiday season is about friendship, family, and community. It’s about remembering the good from our past and being hopeful about our future.
From the simple candlelit trees of Germany to the magnificent displays of Kansas City and Clinton, Christmas lights have become a universal symbol of holiday cheer. They remind us that light overcomes darkness, that our community shines brightly when we come together, and that each strand of bulbs carries centuries of tradition. As we celebrate the season, we honor not only the beauty of the lights but also the enduring spirit they symbolize.
Mark Rimel, a volunteer at the Henry County Museum, wrote this story based on various sources, including The Clinton Eye, Smithsonian Magazine, Library of Congress, Christmas Light Source, KC Yesterday, KC History, Missouri Legends, and Wikipedia.