National Christmas Lights Day celebrates the beginning of the holiday season by encouraging people to decorate their homes, streets, and public spaces with festive lights. The tradition of lighting up Christmas trees and homes with electric bulbs began in the late 19th century, as a way to bring warmth and cheer during the darker, colder months. Today, it serves as a symbol of unity, joy, and the anticipation of the Christmas holiday.
The exact origins of National Christmas Lights Day are unclear: no one has been officially credited with creating National Christmas Lights Day. We believe the day has first been celebrated sometime in the early 21st century as part of the growing trend to commemorate various elements of the holiday season. While the tradition of lighting homes for Christmas is much older, dedicating a specific day to celebrate Christmas lights adds a special touch to this festive tradition.
In the United States 🇺🇸, you could say that National Christmas Lights Day marks the unofficial start of the holiday decorating season. Many families hang Christmas lights on their homes around this time and some towns host lighting ceremonies to celebrate National Christmas Lights Day. Famous landmarks such as the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and neighborhood displays across the country are illuminated around this time. In some cities, there are entire festivals dedicated to Christmas lights, with competitions for the best displays.
If you like this day, you should know that there are other similar Christmas-themed holidays in December like 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 official 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 |
|---|---|
| 2024 | December 1, Sunday |
| 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 are more than just decorative—they have a rich history and have sparked some incredible displays over the years. From the invention of the first electric lights to record-breaking installations and charitable competitions, here are some fascinating facts about this beloved holiday tradition:
- 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, marking a shift from using candles.
- Some families and neighborhoods go all out, decorating with millions of lights to win contests and raise money for charities.
- Electric lights replaced candles on Christmas trees due to safety concerns, making trees far less of a fire hazard.
- 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.
- Every year, the White House hosts a Christmas lighting ceremony, and the tradition dates back to 1923, when President Calvin Coolidge lit the first National Christmas Tree.
- In 2006, a house in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, set a Guinness World Record for the most lights on a residential property, with over 500,000 bulbs.
Before You Go:
We have many more national days lists for you to explore.
- Food-related national days: complete list of national food days, pasta & noodles days, vegan & vegetarian days, mushroom days, ice-cream days, pizza days, coffee days, chocolate days, wine days, alcohol & drinking days.
- Non-food national days: National Days Calendars 2024-2025 (check out the printable calendars in my Etsy shop), National Days for Teachers, and a wide array of special lists such as cat days, dog days, animal days, cleaning & organizing days, book days, music days, family & relationships days, national days for women, stationery days and even Harry Potter days.
- Country-specific national days: Australian national days, more coming soon.
