Outdoor String Lighting

My first memory of Christmas was when I was about three years old, and I was filled with a feeling of excitement looking at the beautiful, luminous Christmas lights on our tree. Today, I still feel the same about those beautiful and twinkling string lights - particularly during the Christmas season. Having spent my childhood in a predominantly Roman Catholic country where Christmas celebrations actually begin several months early, I have always associated Christmas with lights. Today, holiday lights and decorating outdoor string lighting, have come a long way. There are unique styles and varieties for every holiday and season!

In the country where I was born, my idea of outdoor string lighting was a fiesta near the local church, and Christmas stars hanging everywhere near the Nativity scene in the center of the church yard. It also meant small string of ball lights in every church window, which added to the grandeur of the whole display to mark the importance of the season.

Every house would have a huge hanging star, as a sign of the Nativity, that oftentimes whirled with dazzling colors. Our artificial Christmas trees were also filled with string lights, and we would ogle over the tree and the gifts underneath, wishing and hoping that Santa Claus had brought us the right gifts with the help of the baby Jesus. We would eat our Noche Buena, a sumptuous feast after the midnight mass, with the whole family - after which we would enjoy the endless Christmas carolers who dropped by the until dawn. We finally fall asleep only to wake up even more excited, awaiting the joy and festivities on Christmas day.

Though Christmas was a joy, there were those who lost their homes and property because of the misuse or using too many Christmas string lights inside their homes. In these countries, string light sets can be purchased anywhere - even in the market. There also were no safety standards and those were the days when there were no LCD or battery string lighting sets that you can now find in many reputable stores.

Today however, Christmas can be such a joy because these are the days of LCD eco-lights that you can hang on your tree. There are safety regulations for indoor lights and there are a variety of designs and colors you can buy at discount stores such as Wal-mart, Target, or even your local hardware stores. These are the days when you can have battery operated indoor lights for your Christmas tree. You can even put up your own Nativity scene in your garden and accent it with outdoor party lights of all designs - from stars to snowflakes to angels on a string. Or you can even accent the sides of your doors and windows with a dazzling rope of outdoor string lighting to make everyone notice your home - no matter what the weather outside brings.

Christmas is a festival of lights. After all, nothing adds zest and joy to the season more than gazing with awe at the different types and artistic designs of twinkling outdoor string lighting and decorations. They remind us that the meaning of the season is the celebration of when the real Light was born into the world!