With Christmas quickly approaching, the majority of the UK, including the team at Cube Lighting & Design, is so excited to start performing their Christmas rituals! From decorating the Christmas tree and shopping, to baking and cooking, we could not be more excited!
Christmas lights (which are also recognised as fairy lights, string lights or festive lights) are normally used for decoration and festivity throughout the Christmas season and Christmas trees are displayed publicly and beautifully decorated with electric lights. The idea turned out to be popular in the early 20th century and by the mid-20th century it had become totally normalised to show rows of LED lights across buildings and streets, which then moved on to Christmas decorations being moved away from the Christmas tree itself.
In the USA, it became popular to outline homes with Christmas lights in the 1960s, and by the late 20th century the custom had also been adopted in other nations, including outside the Western world, even in Japan and Hong Kong!
In many countries, Christmas lights, as well as other Christmas decorations, are traditionally erected on or around the first day of Advent and in the Western Christian world, the two traditional days when Christmas lights are removed are Twelfth Night and Candlemas. Leaving the decorations up beyond Candlemas is historically considered to be inauspicious.
The types of lamps used in Christmas lighting also vary considerably, reflecting the diversity of modern lighting technology in general. The common lamp types are light bulbs and now light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which are increasingly encouraged as being energy efficient.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, switching from 100-watt incandescent bulbs to LEDs can save £9 per bulb each year. A quick calculation of 9 times the average of bulbs in a home (67) means householders could save just over £600 a year.
Now for the UK’s best Christmas lights!
Blackpool Lights
Blackpool has always been known as the go-to beach for residents of the North West of England, due to it being easily accessible, as well as enjoyable!
The town, known for its seaside resort, is located on the northwest coast of England and is by the Ribble and Wyre rivers. The famous Blackpool Lights have been one of the UK’s most appealing visitor attractions. With recent investments and innovations, the seafront show remains as fascinating as ever.
Dunham Massey
Christmas is back for 2022 at Dunham Massey, with a must-see festive trail that will bring the garden to life with sparkling lights and festive music!
Located in a small village in the borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, it was known as a regionally important place during the medieval period. The Georgian mansion with the remains of a castle on its grounds is a popular tourist attraction and is the venue for the light show. Positioned as a must-see within the UK’s Christmas calendar, the gardens at the National Trust’s Dunham Massey contain over a million twinkling lights as well as seasonal sounds filling the air with festive fun..
Oxford Street
If you’re looking for Christmas lights in London this winter, Oxford Street is a great place to start! The busy shopping road is bringing back a similar display from last year. The lighting display consisted of 5,000 dangling stars, which produced a beautiful effect in the night sky. However, this year there’s a new emphasis on sustainability, by using reduced hours and LED lights to reduce electricity consumption.
Oxford Street’s Christmas lights will shine for a shorter time each day this year in a bid to cut their energy consumption during the UK’s cost of living crisis.
Energy bills on the rise
With the recent major energy bills increase we’ve all had to face in the UK considering how we use lights and which lights we use during the holiday season is of utmost importance.
The shooting bills are caused by the increase in the energy price cap that came into effect on the 1st of this month; a rise of 54% causing bills to increase by £693. The record increase has been largely driven by wholesale gas prices, which have quadrupled in price over the last year.
How can you save money on energy bills?
According to the Energy Saving Trust, switching from 100-watt incandescent bulbs to LEDs can save £9 per bulb each year. A quick calculation of 9 times by the average of bulbs in a home (67) means householders could save just over £600 a year!
If you’re ready to take the step into the future of lighting, Contact Cube Lighting & Design here to see if you qualify for free LED lighting.
Or alternatively, check out our other blogs on: https://www.cubelightingdesign.com/news/
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