Several places light up in downtown Seattle this Friday — at 5 p.m., to be exact. There’s the 22nd Annual Tree Lighting Celebration at Westlake Center, the Space Needle Tree Lighting Celebration of a 35 foot tree with 1,200 lights, and the Macy’s Star Lighting Ceremony of its 161 foot high, 4,300-bulb decoration along with fireworks. You may be curious, like I am, about some of the origins of holiday tree lighting. Here are some informative Internet and Library resources.
Loads of information is on the Christmas Tree Facts web site of the University of Illinois Extension. For example, Thomas Edison’s assistant, Edward Johnson, is known for developing the idea of Christmas lights running on electricity in 1882. 
A book for families is Jacqueline Farmer’s O Christmas Tree, which covers the history and traditions of Christmas trees. And tree lights are just one of many customs detailed in The Encyclopedia of Christmas. According to the National Park Foundation’s web site, President Calvin Coolidge turned on the lights of the first National Christmas Tree on December 24, 1923. This year’s ceremony takes place on December 9th.
Current day tree lighting, for inside and outside places, comes in many sizes, colors and styles; enjoy!
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