Why do we put up Christmas lights?
The use of special lights on Christmas originally started with putting small candles on Christmas Trees in the home.
Christmas Tree traditions go back to a Germany in the 1500s, and it's believed the idea to put lights on the trees was started by Martin Luther, a famous priest who was inspired by the prettiness of stars twinkling between evergreens while walking home one night.
However, using candles on trees wasn't ideal: The candles had to be placed and secured very carefully to avoid accidentally making the tree catch on fire! So in the late 1800s, shortly after Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, one of Edison's employees came up with the idea of making small electrical lights for use on Christmas trees, which would be much safer than the candles!
Today, people still decorate their trees and homes with Christmas lights! For some people, it's a symbol of the starry sky in the story of Christmas on the night Jesus was born; it's also become a tradition and something many people think is pretty!
Exploration
Family Time
In addition to being a nice symbol of the starry sky and a pretty way to decorate the home, lots of people also like putting lights on the Christmas tree or on the outside of their home because it's a big Family Project and makes great time to spend together!
What are some of your other favorite ways to spend time with your family during the holidays? Do you like to help out with the cooking or the baking? Do you make ornaments together, or wrap presents with each other? What are some special ways to spend time with your family during the rest of the year?
