Thomas Edison invented the first practical light bulb in 1879 and three years later an associate of his electrically lit up a Christmas tree for the first time in his home in the first section of New York City to be wired for electricity. A newspaper reporter wrote, ” Last evening I walked over beyond 5th Avenue and called at the residence of Edward H. Johnson, Vice-President of Edison Electric Company. There, at the rear of a beautiful parlour, was a large Christmas tree presenting a most picturesque and uncanny aspect. It was brilliantly lighted with many coloured globes about as large as an English walnut and was turning some six times a minute on a little pine box. There were 80 lights in all, encased in these dainty glass eggs, and about equally divided between red, white and blue. As the tree turned, the colors alternated, all the lights going out and being relit with every revolution. The result was a continuous twinkling of dancing colors all evening. I need not tell you that the scintillating evergreen was a pretty sight. One can hardly imagine anything prettier”. Electric tree lighting didn’t become truly practical until the General Electric Company offered a preassembled lighting outfit for the first time in 1903. These “festoons” as they were called, were quite expensive, costing about as much as the average worker made in a week. So, many department stores in electrified cities would actually rent these festoons for the holiday season for $1.50. I gave up untangling festoons, then putting them on and taking them off, a few years ago, and bought a pre-lit tree. It’s much easier.

That’s Coffeetalk. I’m Vic Dubois.