Prelit Christmas trees are all the rage these days. As they take the guesswork and the hard work out of having to put lights on the tree each year. But, have you ever thought about the first lights that were put onto trees and what was going through the mind of those who were doing this?

First, you have to look at the use of trees during the beginning. While trees were found in some homes, they were not a mainstay like they are now. The appeal of Christmas trees took another leap ahead after U.S. President Grover Cleveland set up a wired Christmas tree in the White House in 1895. In 1903, the American Eveready Company produced the first screw-in Christmas tree lights that could run from a wall outlet. This revolutionized how people were decorating their trees. Remember, before the use of these lights, people either had no lights or they could use candles on these trees, which could create a fire hazard.

Fifteen-year-old Albert Sadacca convinced his parents to start manufacturing Christmas lights in 1918, using bulbs from their business, which sold illuminated wood bird cages with artificial birds in them. When Sadacca painted the bulbs red and green the following year, business really took off, leading to the founding of the multi-million dollar NOMA Electric Company.

With the introduction of plastic after World War II, artificial Christmas trees came into style, effectively upgrading real trees. Although the trees are noticed everywhere today, from stores to schools to government buildings, their religious importance has largely been lost. Now we see prelit Christmas trees just about everywhere. While the religious importance of these trees may have been lost, those who use prelit Christmas trees often still remember why we do this in celebration each year during the month of December.

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