After Thomas Edison’s invention of the first successful electric light bulb, he and his partner Edward H. Johnson looked for commercial uses for the new device. Johnson created the first string of electric lights in 1882 and displayed them on a Christmas tree. Until that time candles were used to illuminate holiday trees, resulting in many fires. A third partner, Albert Sadacca, then in his teens, and his brothers, had the idea of making safer Christmas light strings available to all. Their efforts would corner the string light market until the 1960s. General Electric offered a preassembled kit of lights in 1903. Until then Christmas lights were only for the wealthy, who could afford to have an electrician perform the complicated wiring. President Calvin Coolidge lit the first electric-lighted national Christmas tree in 1923. 

Mistletoe to capture the romance of holiday kisses is highlighted with heart symbols

 

From then on as lights got safer, Americans were hooked on decorating, which spread well beyond lighted trees. Surveyed Americans reveal 84 percent decorate at the holidays, with an estimated $6 billion spent annually on holiday decorations. Driving during the day, wire reindeer and blow-up creatures of many varieties can be spotted on lawns across the area. But of course, night still holds the most magic. Displays present the traditional and the bizarre, either a simple few lights, or a whole magical world. Drivers may come across lighted surprises or know of spots that draw them to return year after year. 

SOME PLACES, whole streets join in the light celebrations, such as Marshall Pond Drive in Burke. 

As one of the homeowners on Marshall Pond Drive, Holly Walsh (yes, that’s her real name) says, “We get together as a community, helping each other decorate for the Christmas holiday, and other holidays throughout the year.” The display has been going on since her now college/high school children were small and is growing every year. When one of the six military families of the seven decorating families in the cul-de-sac added an American flag light, they were soon in each yard. 

How do they manage the lights high on the houses? Walsh says one neighbor used climbing and rappelling equipment. Others went together to rent a cherry picker in past years to reach the high points. Tucked away in a side street in Burke, do they get noticed? Walsh says in the pandemic year about a 1,000 people were wall to wall along the street. She expects a busy season again this year, especially during Christmas week. So much so that the community has a directional sign at the head of the court to direct drivers, viewers, and deliveries. Their street was included in Fairfax County’s list, Tacky Christmas Lights in Northern Virginia and Fairfax, 

https://www.fxva.com/blog/post/where-to-find-the-best-tacky-christmas-lights-in-fairfax-county/.

From decorating trees, to bedecking our homes, tables, churches, and shopping malls; and outdoor displays on houses, in yards; and dressing ourselves and our pets, even our vehicles, decorating may help us lengthen the pleasant memories of the season … and give us all something extra to smile about. Ask six year old Ellery Tatum her favorite decoration, after a thoughtful hesitation she replies, “Everything.”