'Tis the season once again, and time to add something different to your Christmas display. Not that you should toss out all your favorite decorations, just by adding one or two new items can change your theme dramatically, and you don't have to break the bank doing it either! Lights are the most important part, second only to the tree, of course, and the type of lights and colors used can make a stunning difference that will keep your attention throughout the holidays. Think outside of the box when choosing Christmas light colors, that aren't just limited to the traditional red, green, and gold anymore. Other exquisite colors like purple, sapphire, warm white, and ruby red are also popular colors to help you deck your halls and your tree in style this holiday season.

For larger trees and displays, you can use most anything from fiber optics, regular sized bulbs, or high energy efficient LED miniature Christmas lights, while smaller trees and displays would display better with miniature bulbs or fiber optics. Miniature lights are a great and affordable way to add style and colors to any decoration, and they can be used both indoors and outdoors and are a great and economical way to add dramatic lighting to any holiday display. Mini lights are safer than larger bulbs because they don’t have the propensity to overheat. The more lights the better isn't necessarily true either; miniature lights in a solid color can be especially captivating, and sure to get tons of 'ooos and aahhs' from your holiday guests and passersby.

If you’re on a tight budget this holiday season, adding a few new strands of miniature Christmas lights won’t cost much, and you’ll even have a few bucks left over for a tree topper! Find great assortments of lights and all kids of holiday decorations from online specialty retailers, as well as at local discount and home improvement stores. If you decide to wait until after the holidays to make additions to your decoration collection, you can do so at greatly reduced prices and get even more for your money. If you simply can’t wait to have a bigger and brighter Christmas, shop early while the selection is the best. Many online retailers are offering free shipping as well, so be sure to take advantage of it. Beautiful decorations are part of what makes the season so special. Enjoy the holidays in style!

Post from: Christmas Ideas

Miniature Christmas Lights

In 1895, Christmas lights came to the White House, when President Grover Cleveland lit the first electrically illuminated tree with more than 100 lights on it of various colors. By the first part of the next century, Christmas lights began to appear outdoors in cities like San Diego and New York City. However, it still took many years before electric Christmas lights began making an appearance on famous Christmas trees like the ones at Rockefeller Center in New York and Disney’s Christmas tree. Within a few years after Christmas tree lights became more commonplace, Christmas lights began showing up in other areas as well, such as strung along mantles or doorways or outlining the rafters of houses.

Christmas Lights Today

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Christmas lights have become a work of art in themselves, with new ways of displaying their illumination getting invented all the time. The incandescent lights that many of us grew up with are now being replaced in many homes with the more efficient and reliable LED Christmas lights. A number of years ago, bubble lights were all the rage. These lights featured long glass tubes with colored liquid bubbling within. This style of holiday lights peaked in popularity around the 1950’s, but you can still find versions of the bubble Christmas lights in stores today. They have become popular for a retro Christmas theme for many holiday decorators.

No matter what types of Christmas lights you decide to use, or how you decide to use them, this holiday tradition has become a staple in many homes today. In fact, it would hardly seem like Christmas without a few strands of Christmas lights twinkling throughout the home and neighborhood.

Post from: Christmas Ideas

Ingenuity meets Festivity: The Birth of Christmas Lights