Second Day of Truth - Lights
Such pretty little things. They bring cheer and warmth and spread the spirit of the holidays, but what spirit is that? Early pagans lit fires to signify the birthday of the sun, on the longest night of the year. Jewish people have been lighting candles on Hanukkah since the second century. It's no wonder that these and many other winter holidays involve fire and lights, with the long cold nights. History tells that lights were first placed on trees around the sixteenth century, held on by wax or pins. By 1900, department stores started selling strings of lights. Albert Sadacca is credited for producing the first safe brightly colored strands of lights in 1917. Although the lights started out as an expensive novelty, they have since become a cheep mass produced commodity, often used to show that one person's holiday spirit is much better than his neighbor's.
I say that while a few lights may be tasteful and ancient in their traditions, the desperate need to light up the whole block with twinkling and blinking bulbs in every shade of the rainbow is a blatant waste of electricity. So think a little greener this season, and cut down a little.
And now you know.
Such pretty little things. They bring cheer and warmth and spread the spirit of the holidays, but what spirit is that? Early pagans lit fires to signify the birthday of the sun, on the longest night of the year. Jewish people have been lighting candles on Hanukkah since the second century. It's no wonder that these and many other winter holidays involve fire and lights, with the long cold nights. History tells that lights were first placed on trees around the sixteenth century, held on by wax or pins. By 1900, department stores started selling strings of lights. Albert Sadacca is credited for producing the first safe brightly colored strands of lights in 1917. Although the lights started out as an expensive novelty, they have since become a cheep mass produced commodity, often used to show that one person's holiday spirit is much better than his neighbor's.
I say that while a few lights may be tasteful and ancient in their traditions, the desperate need to light up the whole block with twinkling and blinking bulbs in every shade of the rainbow is a blatant waste of electricity. So think a little greener this season, and cut down a little.
And now you know.
No comments:
Post a Comment