Edward Hibberd Johnson is credited for stringing lights around a Christmas tree in New York City in 1882. Johnson was a friend and partner of Thomas Edison. Edison's Illumination company hand wired 80 red white and blue light bulbs and wound them around his Christmas tree. Before electric Christmas lights, families would use candles, which proved to be dangerous and often led to fires.
In 1895 President Grover Cleveland requested that the White House Christmas tree be illuminated with hundreds of multi-colored electric light bulbs.
On Christmas Eve 1923, President Calvin Coolidge started the Christmas celebration by lighting the National Christmas Tree with 3,000 electric lights.
The Star of Bethlehem is the source for the presence of lights as ornaments. They are usually placed at the top of Christmas trees to convey the idea of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. The Bible pictures the world in spiritual darkness until the birth of Christ, and compares His birth to light penetrating a dark place.
Some 150 million sets of lights are sold in the U.S every year.
reference: History
American Holidays - Bill Perry
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