I’ve seen lots of things written about Christmas. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but people have some very strong opinions about the holiday season. Apparently lots of folks get their bloomers in a bundle if they’re greeted with a joyous “Happy Holidays!” at the mall. The seemingly innocuous greeting really chaps some people because there’s no mention of Christ. You know, as in Jesus, the savior whose birth we celebrate with over spending, Santa Claus, lies about elves watching our children’s behavior, parking lot skerfuffles, Black Friday violence, and fruitcake. Nothing pays homage to Jesus Christ like a pilgrimage to the mall.
But I’m not here to wax about Jesus and the holidays. ALL the holidays that fall around this time of year, even the ones that don’t include Jesus. Ahem.
I’m here to talk about Christmas lights.
I happen to have some strong opinions on lights. And here you thought there might actually be one topic on which I have no opinion at all. Come on, you know me better than that. I’m a white light kind of girl. I would rather see a naked tree than have colored lights bedazzle my branches. I shudder to think of the ones that dance and twinkle and play music. I simply don’t understand why you’d want your Christmas tree to look like it was decorated by a Vegas show girl costume designer. I find colored lights to be, um, well, hmmmm…tacky. OK, I said it. Since it’s out there I’ll say it again. I think colored lights are tacky. To each her own and all. I certainly wouldn’t come to your house and sneer at your look-at-me tree. I wouldn’t even talk about you in the car on my way home. But I would walk in front my door and smile at my glimmering white light tree.
I like how the white lights let the ornaments sparkle. White lights enhance each ornament rather than compete for eye space. I like the simplicity of white lights. The uniform white sparkles on my tree just seem pure and calming and full of hope and wonder. Isn’t that what the season is about after all?
Now here’s your chance to disagree. Tell me your bit in defense of colored lights. Let me hear it.
I can’t say too much one way or another: I bought my family a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree (yes, the teeny tiny one that bends over with a single ornament), and we are going to put that on a stand and place the presents under it.
Take THAT, traditionalists!
Colored lights – pro or con? My feeling is that as long as you have “feeling” in what you are putting up, white or colored it’s no-never mind. What I don’t care for, and strongly enough to get on my soapbox are soul-less interior designer trees that are all gilt & matchey-matchey.
Christmas trees should have those awful Popsicle stick and cotton ball ornaments and glass balls with your kid’s names in Elmer’s glue & glitter. Now that’s a tree. I switch between putting up all clear or multi-colored lights but my ornaments are personal, not plastic (well some of them are). My point is you should be able to walk into my home and ask about the story that goes with each ornament, not what my “color scheme” is this year.
You do have some opinions. We have white lights, but I’ve never really thought about, and I think maybe my family had colored lights in the 60’s one time. I’m not sure. I prefer white now.
Leigh
Colored lights? No way! Not in our house. We went out looking for some Christmas lights this past weekend, and we ended up at four stores before we found regular, traditional clear lights. We couldn’t find them at Lowe’s, Home Depot or even Walmart. We finally did find a full stock at Ace Hardware. And, it wasn’t even last minute; I’m talking December 3! There were colored lights of all shapes and sizes, LEDs, rope lights, light bulbs that looked like snowflakes and icicles, but no plain ol’ clear lights. I smell foul play!
I will admit it. My tree is a Vegas Show Girl this year. We had colored lights in our box, as we inherited them from someone, and we used them.
Honestly, I like white lights better as well. They are cleaner and simpler. But I am not adverse to colored lights, especially since my thin poor artificial (I know) Christmas tree looks like kids crafts and personalized ornaments threw up all over the tree. When the kids are young and having fun with Christmas, I feel that the tree should reflect them. Not to say that my kids are Vegas Show Girls. Wait where was I going with this? I mean that I don’t mind the colored lights because my kids are colorful. If the tree was just for me…. white lights for simplicity all the way. In the meantime…… my tree is what it is…..a culmination of our life together and Christmas remembered.
I’ll admit, I’m a colored lights girl BUT and that’s a HUGE BIG OLD BUT in there… NOT the tiny little colored lights that are itty bitty but instead I decorate with retro c9’s like these: http://ow.ly/7TE9v
I love them and always have. I like my tree to be colorful and a little abstract. I have random gobs of ornaments from my childhood and now from my kids and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I can appreciate a sparkly white tree, it is pretty and quiet. But that’s not me, I’m pretty and LOUD and that’s how I like it 😉
White lights, with hundreds of glass ornaments.
Colored lights are okay on the Rockefeller Center tree. But that’s IT.
I love colored lights so much, I took a picture of them one year (2006) and made it my Twitter background in 2007 – and it still is. @AshleySue. Seriously. I would cry if all I had were white lights. I feel like I need as much color as possible. Just about always. It’s who I am. <3
Personally, I like white and colored on the tree AT THE SAME TIME! I know, it’s sacrilege, but that’s the way I roll. I do however, have a strong opinion about white lights (particularly outside ones) that blink on and off. That drives me absolutely crazy. I hate those! I can’t help but think of the Charlie Brown Christmas special, where all the lights are shiny and blinking, and it seems to scream SALE, SALE, SALE! I know some people love those, but that seems to be the antithesis of what Christmas is all about.
And one more thing…I think Happy Holidays is perfectly acceptable. Perhaps generic, but I prefer to opt for a safe greeting rather than ticking off a Muslim or a Jew.
Get over yourself people!
As Simon Doonan, the creative director of Barneys New York, says, “The notion that white lights must be on a Christmas tree is very 80s ‘Dynasty,’ ”
“People who are pathological about white lights are usually the same people who stuff their TV into an armoire and try to pretend they don’t have one
I agree with this guy.
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