Holiday Lighting / Holiday Greetings!

I remember this quote from about a decade back while attending a lecture. It is attributed to Chris Harrison – Future Interface Group.

If you showed Thomas Edison the Hue light bulb he’d say, “All you did in 120 years was make it change colors?”

For the next couple of weeks, we’ll see a lot of colored light. There will be trees decorated with light, homes decorated with light and even a few Santa caps will be illuminated. There is a good chance, every one of these applications will use LED. (Especially, the cap!) Unless you have one of those retro-holiday friends who scour flea markets for old school light bulbs, holidays are now made festive with LED light. We probably don’t think about it, but the energy savings is substantial. Your utility company has definitely thought about it. Power use always accelerates during our end-of-year celebrations. LED has helped to make that less daunting for the power producers.

Think about the changes in holiday light that are brought about by LED, then consider this is technology we had relegated to audio-video equipment on-off buttons and wristwatches until about fifteen years ago. Sure, it took 120 years to extract ourselves from the incandescent light bulb, but since that unhinging, I believe we’ve made up for a lot of lost time. More will occur and change will continue, but inventors and consumers deserve a pat on the back. Well done, all.

As you drive to visit family and friends this month, check out the now ubiquitous icicles hanging from gutters, the whole-home façade light displays and inflatable yard toys, all lit with LED. We all did this. Congratulations!

As for your ample-bellied Uncle wearing an oversized sweater emblazoned with a flashing red reindeer nose, I’m sorry. You know people will always find a way to mess with new technology.

Have a wonderful holiday and an even better 2024. I’ll have more to say about light in the New Year…as always, but you already know that!