National Christmas Lights Day is observed every year on December 1 and encourages people to switch on their holiday lights as the Christmas decorating season begins. Early December brings long, dark evenings, and many people welcome the extra warmth and brightness that lights provide.
The date fits well into the holiday calendar. It falls right after Thanksgiving in the United States, when many families begin decorating, and it aligns with early-December traditions in many other countries.
Turning on lights ties into older customs of using light to lift spirits during the darkest time of the year. Before electric lights, people used candles to brighten homes during winter festivals. Today’s string lights continue this idea in a safer and more decorative form.
In the United States 🇺🇸, National Christmas Lights Day often marks the unofficial start of the holiday decorating season. Many families hang lights around their homes at this time, and some towns hold lighting ceremonies to celebrate the day. Well-known displays such as the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and many neighborhood light shows across the country also come to life around early December. In some cities, entire festivals focus on Christmas lights, sometimes with competitions for the most creative or impressive displays.
If you enjoy this observance, there are other Christmas-themed holidays in December as well, including National Christmas Tree Day, National Ugly Sweater Day, and National Make a Gift Day.
When Is National Christmas Lights Day Celebrated?
National Christmas Lights Day is celebrated every year on December 1st, marking the unofficial start of holiday decorating for many. This date is perfectly timed to get homes glowing just as winter approaches and the nights grow longer. Here’s when the celebration will take place in the upcoming years:
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | December 1, Monday |
| 2026 | December 1, Tuesday |
| 2027 | December 1, Wednesday |
| 2028 | December 1, Friday |
| 2029 | December 1, Saturday |
| 2030 | December 1, Sunday |
Fun Facts About Christmas Lights
Christmas lights have a long history and continue to inspire impressive displays around the world. From the first electric bulbs on a tree to modern-day record setters, these facts show how the tradition has grown and changed throughout history.
- In 1882, Edward H. Johnson, vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, created the first known string of electric Christmas lights for his tree, replacing the older practice of using candles.
- Electric lights quickly became popular because they were far safer than open flames, reducing the risk of house fires during the holidays.
- Some families and neighborhoods decorate on a massive scale, using hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of lights to take part in competitions or raise money for charity.
- The Guinness World Record for the most Christmas lights on a private home was set by a family in New York with 687,000 lights. Another record was set in 2006 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, where a home featured more than 500,000 bulbs.
- The White House also takes part in this tradition. Its annual Christmas lighting ceremony began in 1923, when President Calvin Coolidge lit the first National Christmas Tree.
- Watch one of the famous light shows here:
