Christmas Light Bulb Patterns
The use of Christmas lights to decorate for the holiday season is a tradition that dates back over one hundred years. Decorating trees, homes, and businesses with Christmas light bulb patterns and displays has become a popular holiday tradition that many people participate in. Multiple patterns and types of bulbs are available to decorate almost any structure, creating a festive display to celebrate the holiday season.
Use of Christmas Light Bulbs
The use of Christmas lights on indoor Christmas trees dates back to the 19th century when the first strands of lights were produced for use. Prior to this, many people used candles in windows and on trees, which could have the dangerous effect of starting a fire. The use of Christmas lights to decorate trees indoors began to spread throughout the country until it was common practice and these miniature lights were available for sale. The practice of lighting outdoor structures did not become mainstream until the 1950s, and bulb sizes evolved to fit outdoor displays. Today, many businesses and homes decorate both outdoors and indoors with Christmas bulb patterns to celebrate the holiday.
Christmas Lighting Tips
In the following passages you will find several Christmas lighting tips. First we'll begin with selecting the structure to decorate. There are many ways to decorate a home or business for Christmas with holiday light patterns. Depending on what structure is available, there are several options for decorating.
- Trees and outdoor structures
- The frame and shape of the house
- Lighted lawn displays
- Lighted sculptures and structures
- Indoor light patterns
Trees and Outdoor Structures
Christmas light bulbs are available in strands that can be wrapped around trees or bushes. Many people, if they have an evergreen tree in their yard, will place strands that wrap the tree from top to bottom. Other types of trees can be covered from the trunk to the branches. Bushes can be decorated with Christmas light patterns by stringing strands or, another common type of bulb pattern, netted lights, which can be placed over the bush to cover it with lights. Other outdoor structures such as fences and trellises can be strung with lights to brighten up a holiday display.
The Frame and Shape of the House
Lining the eaves and chimney of a house is a popular way to decorate with Christmas light bulbs. These patterns follow the basic structure of the house, so each home looks different from the next. A popular kind of light bulb, the icicle strand, can be strung along the eaves of a home. These types hang horizontally with vertical strands of clear or white lights to give the appearance of icicles hanging from a house. Lights can also frame windows and doors or run the length of a porch railing. Christmas light bulbs can be strung in multiple patterns by following the basic outline of a house.
Lighted Displays
Many people prefer to set up some kind of lighted display in their yard to form the appearance of a scene or exhibit. For example, people have formed lights in the patterns of trees to make a small Christmas forest in the yard. Others have made patterns displaying scenes of small towns or villages, all created from light bulbs, right in the yard. Christmas light bulbs have the ability to blink at intervals and can also be programmed to flash on and off at certain times. Because of this, people have been able to program their lights to blink at specific times that are set to music. Those who wish to view the scene can drive by with their car radio tuned to a particular station. The blinking lights flash in time with the song played on the radio, providing an entertaining display for anyone who loves to look at Christmas lights.
Lighted Sculptures and Structures
Many lighted items can be displayed in a front yard or at a business that are festive to the season and provide a different type of Christmas light exhibition. These structures are lighted with bulbs that either form the structure itself or illuminate a plastic covering to produce a display. Many favorites are reindeer made of light bulbs that give the appearance of grazing the yard. Other sought out structures are snowmen, Santa Claus, or popular Disney� characters. These displays can also be placed as scenes in the yard to illuminate the area and provide a festive look.
Indoor Christmas Light Patterns
Christmas light bulbs are also used to wrap around indoor Christmas trees. They may be seen on mantles and staircase banners, or around windows on the inside. Many Christmas light patterns can be formed to illuminate the inside of a home to celebrate the holiday. Several recent manufacturers of Christmas trees have made artificial trees with lights already strung on them or illuminating the branches from within through fiber optic technology. The many colors, brightness, and twinkling of the lights all comes from within the tree.
Christmas light technology has advanced in recent years, so much that many more options for patterns are available and are left to the imagination. For years, Christmas lights were made of incandescent bulbs, which were painted various colors. These bulbs are still used in many households, as well as LED lights. LED lights have become popular because they are known to emit brighter lighting effects, last longer than incandescent bulbs, and use less energy.
As technology in lighting continues to evolve, there are greater options for Christmas light bulb patterns every year. Shopping in any home and garden store during the holiday season will find multitudes of options for lighting, both indoor and outside. Holiday lighting with Christmas bulbs arranged in different patterns is a festive way to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season.