MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 19: Christmas festive lights are displayed on a house in Macleod on December 19, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. Residents across Melbourne are lighting their property’s with Christmas lights in the build up to Christmas Day. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
It's National Christmas Lights Day. People hang Christmas lights everywhere. Lights can be on a Christmas tree, outside around a house or building or perhaps an office cubicle to help bring some Christmas cheer.
Christmas lights were invented by Edward Johnson, who was an associate of Thomas Edison in the early 1880's. Edison has deep ties to southwest Florida, of course. Back in 1882, Johnson lit a Christmas tree with 80 incandescent bulbs and the first holiday tree was lit. Prior to that, people used to light candles and hang them on a tree. (Talk about a fire hazard!!!).
By 1895, the first electrically powered lights adorned the White House tree. The famous Rockefeller Center tree in New York City did not have electric lights until 1956.
Some people begin hanging lights around their house in November, or Thanksgiving weekend. Some people wait until just before Christmas. And, depending on where you live, hanging lights outside can be a chore when the cold weather is unpleasant. Or, if you live in the south the weather can be delightful.
And then there is the issue of taking the lights down when the buzz of holiday cheer is long gone. (Some people have been known to leave them up all year to save themselves the hassle next year).
No matter what your personal tradition or routine is, it is still National Christmas Lights Day. So celebrate by taking a Griswold "Christmas Vacation" movie Quiz. (Spoiler: The movie is all about decorating for the holidays!) It's all on Craig Shemon and Company on ESPN Southwest Florida.
For National Christmas Lights Day: "CHRISTMAS VACATION" MOVIE TRIVIA
- What is Eddie’s dog’s name? Snots
- What is Clark Griswold’s middle initial? W
- When Clark is trapped in the attic, what does he do to occupy his time? Watch home movies.
- What did Clark receive as a Christmas bonus? A one-year membership to the Jelly of the Month Club.
- What nickname does Clark’s wife Ellen have for him? Sparky
- Who plays the female neighbor who hates the Griswold’s? Julia Louis Dreyfus
- What animal was in the Christmas tree before attacking the family?Squirrel
- How many Christmas lights are on the Griswold family home? 25,000
- What part of the turkey did cousin Eddie ask Clark to save for him? The neck
- What store does Clark slide into with his sled? Wal Mart
