String lights are special, especially at Christmas

Every year, as Christmas grows closer, those of us who enjoy following the decorating traditions of the season look for ways to make our homes look special. We can decorate rooms. We can decorate gardens. Or we can simply decide to decorate a special tree. Whether you want to decorate on a small scale or go large, one of the most effective ways to decorate is to use string lights.

Another name for string lights is rope lights, but the concept is exactly the same. Really what the concept means is that lights are attached to a string – or rope. The string incorporates a whole lot of bulbs that linked in some way or other. This enables us to take the string of lights and wind them around the Christmas tree to illuminate and thus decorate it, or to use it in some other way. Check our selection of solar string lights and solar rope lights

The very first rope lights were devised by an American inventor, Edward Johnson, who was vice-president of one of America’s first electric light companies, the Edison Electric Light Co. That was way back in 1882, and what Mr. Johnson did was to hand-wire a whole lot of incandescent bulbs together to form a string. He’s been called the father of electric Christmas tree lights, and his original string light is surely the grand-daddy of all of them. There were 80 bulbs in his first string, and they were a combination of different colors – specifically white, red and blue. Mr. Johnson’s partner was Thomas Edison, whose name the company takes, who invented some of the very first long-lasting bulbs manufactured for use with electricity.

While the very first string lights were electrically generated, those we get today are often solar powered. Of course there are still a lot of electric string or rope lights on the market, and they do vary in quality and type. So the first thing is to establish what you want to buy, and how you prefer your lights to be powered. More on Solar string lights

Good quality solar string lights are sold along with a small solar panel, rechargeable Ni-MH batteries, all the mounting hardware that you need, and a complete instruction manual. That’s all you need to get going with solar powered Christmas lights. If you opt for solar you can be sure that you will not only save money (lots of it), but you will also be doing your bit for the environment, because these Christmas lights are completely environmentally friendly. You can rest assured that they will make zero impact on the environment. And festive beauty will be one of your best rewards. More on decorative string lights

Having decided which type of string lights you want, you’ll then have to think about how you’re going to use them. Wrapping a tree with these lights can produce amazing results. Or you may prefer to use patio string lights to highlight features of your house or garden. What about wrapping them around the front door to welcome guests? Or you could line your window frames with lights. Another option would be to use them around garden arches or entrances, or to wrap them around pillars and trees. Just be warned that the more ideas you have, the more outdoor string lights you’re going to want. More on outdoor solar lights