Lights

I talked about the importance of fire before, and that touched a bit on the importance of light at this dark time of year, but today I’d like to talk a little about electric lights, the kind that people put up around their houses and on their trees. Holiday lights (called fairy lights in other parts of the world) always captivated me when I was younger. I can recall driving around at night, face pressed to the glass of the car window, drawn to the bright colored lights on people’s houses and in their yard.

Back then we had larger Xmas lights, like the ones seen above. I can remember some of them being painted, and in the older ones, the paint would sometimes flake off. White and multicolored lights were common, of course, but there was also the rare set of lights that was all blue. Somehow these would reach out across the distances and grab hold of me. After the bright, hot white and colored lights, the blue lights seemed cool. Steady. Something about them always drew me in.

The tradition of putting lights on Christmas trees dates back to the 17th century, though they were, of course, candles. Electric lights on Christmas trees did not start appearing until the late 19th century, and even then they were expensive enough that their use was restricted to businesses. It wasn’t until 1930 that electric lights began replacing candles in people’s homes.

What kind of lights are your favorite? Are you an all-white lighter? Or a multicolored? Or something off the beaten path?

Also, here are today’s quotes:

Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. – Anton Chekhov

Properly, we should read for power. Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one’s hand. – Ezra Pound