Past Forward: It’s a Wonderful Light

Whether for religious or secular celebrations, twinkling lights mark many of December’s festivities. In recent years, the variety and functionality of electric lights have exploded, abetted by cheap and colorful LEDs and compact electronics. Homeowners can illuminate the eaves with iridescent icicles, shroud their shrubs with twinkling mesh nets, or mount massive menorahs on their minivans. But decorative lights aren’t new. Edward Johnson, vice president of the Edison Electric Light Co., is credited with introducing the first electric Christmas lights on 22 December 1882. At the time, few households had electricity, and so holiday lights remained the playthings of the wealthy elite until electrification and more affordable fixtures (like this creepy 1925 doll’s head bulb) spread to the masses.