Christmas Lights

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It's only fitting, perhaps, that along with the magic of Santa Claus at
Christmas, holiday and Christmas lights also came about through the work of a
wizard - the Wizard of Menlo Park in New Jersey - as Thomas Edison was called.
It was Edison who first developed and demonstrated an incandescent electric
light bulb in 1879 that had commercial potential, an event that led the way for
the mass use of electricity and lights on Christmas tree as used today.
Before the discovery and use of electricity, candles were used to light
Christmas trees. That practice evolved into having glass covers with candles
inside them or metal lanterns that had small wicks. These were hung like
ornaments on Christmas trees. But even after Edison invented the incandescent
electric light bulb, it took many years before the large-scale manufacture of
Christmas tree lights were available commercially. It is said that the idea of Christmas lights came from one of Edison's assistants, Edward Johnson. In 1882, Johnson had Christmas tree bulbs made
specially for him. He displayed these electric bulbs on his Christmas tree at
his home on Fifth Avenue in New York City and it drew widespread attention. But
Christmas tree lights underwent many changes and improvement before General
Electric Co. introduced Christmas lights on a commercial scale. As an example,
among the earlier lights used on Christmas trees were night-lights that were
strung together to make light strings.
After the commercial introduction of

Christmas lights, sales and wide-scale use of them soared.Decorative mini-lights to be used for Christmas tree lighting were introduced in the 1970s. Since then, they have continued to be popular and are the dominant types of Christmas tree lights in the marketplace. Before that, icicle lights
were introduced as decoration for rooflines. Those decorative lights are the
most popular ones used for outdoor landscape lighting during the holidays.
Outdoor decorative lighting has evolved from Christmas tree lighting to also
become a popular way to use colorful lighting during the holidays to create
spectacular scenes.Another development in decorative lighting at Christmas time is the use of
candles. Real candles can be used, but electric candles became more popular and
safer because they present less threat of a fire hazard. Today that threat has
also decreased with the development of flameless battery candles. The battery
operation also makes their use more flexible because they can be placed in areas
where there aren't electrical outlets. Candles are usually displayed at several
windows of a house during the holidays. They produce an appealing look
especially if there are at least two sets of three windows each other where they
can be placed.Battery-operated candles can also be used during Christmas and the holidays for
other activities such as caroling, church services, school activities and for
other holiday arrangements around the home.As Christmas lights have become a mandatory feature of the holidays, they are continually being used in new ways that differ considerably from their early
beginnings. Outdoor lighting is now just as common as indoor lighting and that
is an area in which a change in the use of holiday lighting can be seen. Along
with icicle lights that illuminate rooflines and frames of houses, there are
also lights that are placed in shrubs. Holiday lighting also comes in the shape
of trees and other ornaments that can be placed on lawn to enhance the visual
appeal during the holidays.Many lawns are landscaped by lighting during Christmas and the holiday season with lighted figurines and various other items associated with the season. In
some communities, entire blocks of streets will have such elaborate holiday lawn
lighting that they attract passersby and even tourists - residents from
elsewhere - who are captivated by the spectacular visual displays of the
landscaped holiday lighting.

Christmas Decorations

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The various types of decoration used at Christmas are what gives a pretty
and sparkling look, and what puts some splendor into the season. The Christmas
tree with its myriad decorations is a standard and central decorative element of
Christmas. But the presence of the Christmas tree is also enhanced by
decorations such as wreaths, garlands, lights and figurines.Wreaths have a round or circular shape and are often used as the decorative piece on the front of a door. Variations of wreaths include berry,
grapevine, poinsettia and snow. The berry wreath will have individual and small
clusters of red berries, holly leaves with features like a gold tint, pine cones
and needle styles. A grapevine wreath has a vine-like look and may have pine
sprigs and clusters of red berry.Poinsettia wreaths showcase leaves that are red or different shades of red, and may have glittered fruits such as pear, apple and grape clusters throughout its
structure. Based on the size of a poinsettia wreath, it may also have large or
small pine cones, pine sprigs and holly leaves. And then there are snow wreaths
that have an icy look from pine cones that are sprinkled or covered with snow
and which are scattered throughout the wreath.Garlands are primarily used to decorate stairways, banisters and mantels. Garlands also have variations such as those that have a lighted Christmas tree
look with twinkling lights and tiny ornaments or tinsel to sparkle. Others such
as a mixed needle lighted garland would have branches of wide and thin pine
needle and Christmas lights. Christmas lights come in various forms and are also used in numerous ways to make homes and business places shine and sparkle during the holidays.
Christmas lights may be colored or plain, may or may not twinkle, and may be
single-stringed or have multiple strings to be hung to create a look like
icicles, which makes them very flexible in how they can be used.

To beautify houses during the Christmas season, Christmas lights may be strung around the roof line, in shrubs, placed at windows to form different patterns and placed on patios or porches to hang as icicles. Lighted candles are
also used in windows to make them visually appealing.Another type of lighted decoration seen during Christmas is in the form of figures that are placed on lawns. It's a matter of personal taste that decides how many figures to place on lawns, whether a lot or a few pieces or sometimes
just a single one may be attractive enough. Christmas trees are the standard decorative elements that are mandatory during the season. They may be real or artificial and can be placed inside or outside.
If placed outside, they should be lighted and also in a sufficiently lit but
subdued lighted area to maximize their visual beauty. Christmas trees are
wonderful to decorate because the entire family can participate in the
decorative process by placing the ornaments, baubles, lights and tinsel on the
tree. Some ornaments may even be personal, such as hand-made items or treasured
keepsake mementos. When these are placed on the tree every year, it can become a
tradition that is kept in the family and which creates a special memory as each
Christmas comes around. Poinsettia flowers, with their flaming red leaves, are also a staple
decoration at Christmas time. They can be placed wherever it's suitable to place
plants. Poinsettias are commonly used around offices in general and personal
work spaces during the Christmas season.If there's snow and a lucky 'White Christmas,' especially on
Christmas Day, then it's worth it to bundle up and with the children jump into
the snow to make a 'Frosty Snowman.' While a smiling snowman on a lawn is a
temporary decorative feature during Christmas, it's always a surprise and
delight because it means that children were out playing in the snow and having
fun.Given the many types, variations and ways in which Christmas decorations
can be used, everyone can have some pleasure and be creative in arranging some
form of Christmas decoration to add their own sparkle and twinkle to the
holidays.

Caring For and Planting a Balled in Burlap Christmas Tree

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Tis the season when lots of people drag a real tree into their house and decorate it. Some people buy live trees that are balled in burlap instead of a cut tree. A live tree is a great idea, but many people make serious mistakes when it comes to handling a live tree, and they end up losing their money. The information in this article also pertains to any live tree you are planting, be it now during the winter, or during the summer.1. Before you even take the tree in the house, dig a hole for the tree where you expect to plant it after the holidays. Put the soil in a wheelbarrow and park it in the garage. You'll need loose soil to backfill the hole, and the ground might be frozen after the holidays.

2. Keep your live tree in the house for as short a time as is possible.

3. Keep the ball plenty moist while in the house, but not in a tub full of water. You don't want the ball to dry out completely, but by the same token it shouldn't be soggy all the time either. Just moist. You can wet it thoroughly, but then don't water again until the water is almost gone.

4. After Christmas move the tree outdoors as soon as possible and plant it immediately. If you were not able to dig the hole earlier, the ground is frozen, and the tree cannot be planted, leave it outside and pack bags of leaves or bales of straw around the ball. Find a way to heel it in in such a way that the amount of sun and wind the root ball receives is minimal.

5. Try and plant the tree immediately if you can. You do not want to store the tree on top of the ground during the winter if you can avoid it. Putting it in your garage is not a good idea either, it is likely to dry out in there. The absolute best place for the ball is in the ground, even if the ground has frozen after you dug the hole.  Just set the tree in the hole and backfill with loose soil. Make sure there are no air pockets around the ball. Backfill only with small particles of soil. If this cannot be done because the soil is frozen, just set the tree in the hole and backfill as soon as the weather permits.

6. Check the ball for nylon string. Cut and remove any nylon string. Sometimes the diggers wrap the string around the stem of the tree. If the string is a cotton type, like sisal twine, you can leave it on the ball but remove it from the stem. If the burlap is nylon it should be cut in many places or removed. If the ball is wrapped with a wire basket I recommend leaving it on. It will help to secure the tree and keep it from rocking back and forth with the wind. The roots will find their way through the wire and the burlap. Just cut the burlap where you can.

7. Do not plant the tree too deep. This is the number one reason for plants that do not survive. They should not be planted any deeper than they were in the nursery. The top of the ball should be one to two inches above the ground level. If you have heavy, wet, clay soil, you should plant it even higher and build a bed up around the ball. When you plant them too deep the plants literally suffocate.

8. Do not fertilize the tree at the time of planting. You can fertilize it in the spring, but only with an organic fertilizer. If you have compost available, mix some in while planting. Fertilizer can do more harm than it can good. I always recommend organic fertilizers. It's hard to make a mistake with organics. It's always a good idea to stake trees when you plant them. If the wind is constantly rocking them back and forth they will have a difficult time establishing new roots in their new home.

Travel Tips for Christmas

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Christmastime often means traveling to grandma's or a family party. You can make these trips less stressful when you have kids along by following some of these tips.Traveling with children often times requires that you become an expert storyteller, comedian, actor, or magician in order to keep peace and make the time pass quicker. Here are some age appropriate tips for you to use on your next holiday trip.Babies enjoy looking at bright objects that have interesting shapes, or are pop-up tops, and also mirrors and rattles are favorite amusers too.Toddlers will be kept busy with hand puppets, shape sorters of all kinds, board books, musical toys (that won't irritate you), and plastic containers that kid can easily open themselves and close. Keep play objects in them that are not too small (choking). A coloring book and chubby crayons are great entertainment.Preschoolers love to unwrap boxes that contain surprises for them to play with like magnetic numbers and letters on a metal tray, picture books, treats to eat, or mirrors and stuffed animals.Younger school-aged kids love to work with activity books that have stickers in them, felt boards, modeling clay, action figures or dolls and stuffed animals.Older kids can use travel-size board games or hand-held electronic games, magazines or books, or car games like finding certain state license plates or counting colored cars, or store signs. Kids have great imaginations and can sometimes amuse themselves on long car rides by playing these car games like "I-Spy" - spotting something along the landscape that is a certain color or shape.

It is a good idea to take along music CDs or books on tape for hours of entertainment value. Some popular series are: Silly Sing Alongs, Toddler Tunes, music by Joe Scruggs, Raffi or hits that you remember from The Beatles, or Broadway or Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles or a popular kids group: Sharon, Louis and Bram. Taking a variety of music will help to pass the time not only for the kids but for the adults as well. Audio books can be not only entertaining but learning experience as well especially if you are traveling far and can find an audio book about your destination.
Many of the vehicles now have built-in VCRs or DVD players for hours of movie entertainment.
Car trips can bring your family closer together by creating this unique time of sharing and doing stuff together. You can share jokes, tell stories, and talk about what is happening in your lives.