Introduction
Christmas, as the song says, is ‘the most wonderful time of the year’. It is a time to gather with those we love, a season of sparkle and log fires, of holly wreaths and mulled wine—a time of light during the darkest days of the year. People around the world celebrate Christmas traditions in many different ways, but wherever and however Christmas is celebrated, one central theme unites us all: Light.
All festive celebrations have Light at their heart, uniting communities and cultures across the globe. The festival of Christmas itself is rooted in much older festivities, going back to Pagan times, when winter rites and ceremonies marked the Winter Solstice, symbolising the enduring cycle of life even during the darkest season. Evergreens brought into the home were thought to have magical powers to ward off evil and remind people that Spring—and new life—would follow the dark days
A History of Christmas Traditions and Lights
The use of lights during Christmas originated in Germany during medieval times with the burning of the Yule log, intended to bring light into the home during the short, dark winter days. Churches soon adopted the practice, seeing the Yule log as symbolising the Light of the World. By the late Middle Ages, Church records from across Europe show purchases of holly and ivy for winter, while Scandinavian and German households displayed evergreens as symbols of Spring and eternal life.
The Romans called this season Saturnalia, and in Nordic countries it was known as Yule, reflecting humanity’s age-old need to believe that darkness would not last forever. When emigrants brought these customs to the USA, Christmas trees became common, and in England, Queen Charlotte (wife of George III) is credited with setting up the first known Christmas tree in the Queen’s Lodge at Windsor.
In December 1840, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, imported several Spruce trees from Germany to decorate the royal household. A depiction in the Illustrated London News of the Queen and her family around a decorated tree made the tradition fashionable, and by 1860, most homes had a decorated Christmas tree. Initially, these trees were lit with candles—a dangerous practice—until fairy lights replaced them.
How Fairy Lights Got Their Name
The term ‘fairy lights’ was first used 144 years ago at the Savoy Theatre in London, the first public building lit entirely by electricity in 1881. Sir Joseph Swan installed 1,200 incandescent bulbs, and Richard D’Oyly Carte commissioned Swan to outfit the lead fairies in a Gilbert and Sullivan production with miniature lights. The audience gasped at the magical effect, and the fairy lights became a high-society fashion accessory before being applied to Christmas trees.
Meanwhile, in the USA, Thomas Edison displayed the first electric lights outside his laboratory in 1880, and in 1882, Edward H Johnson decorated his Christmas tree with a string of 80 coloured electric bulbs; red, white, and blue. However, electric Christmas lights only became widely affordable in the 1920s.
Christmas Lights in London
London itself transforms spectacularly during the festive season. The very first Christmas lights went up on Regent Street in 1954, following Selfridges’ pioneering exterior decorations in 1935. Post-war London in the 1950s was bleak and sombre, so local shops and businesses financed dazzling light displays to cheer the city and encourage people back into the West End to shop.
The decorations included flying trumpeting angels made from cut-out stars illuminated by aircraft landing lights. Now, every December, London’s West End is lit with breathtaking installations called the Spirits of Christmas, designed by Paul Dart of James Glancy Design Ltd and commissioned by the Crown Estate.
The Making of the Spirits of Christmas
Paul Dart, a Theatre and Lighting designer, creates the “everyday extraordinary” by transforming streets into magical scenes. Each Spirit is hand-crafted in a South London workshop, formed from aluminium and wire mesh, studded with thousands of energy-efficient LED pea lights. Every installation requires over 2,200 hours of welding and intricate planning, including street closures, cranes, and spotlights to create the shimmering effect we enjoy today.
These spectacular installations turn London into a Christmas Wonderland, a true visual feast for locals and visitors alike.
Experience the Magic
November marks the start of this magical transformation, and there is no better way to experience it than with a guided walk. Book a Public Christmas Lights walk or a Private Christmas Lights tour with Jenny Funnell and, in Paul Dart’s words, “let me show you the everyday that has now been transformed into the extraordinary.”
