The Window Candle at Christmas

This may sound odd but for a long time the one lacking aspect of my Christmas decor were window lights. A small electric candle placed in each window of the house.

For my first house the window lights were a must! I quickly went to the store to find my window lights as soon as I saw Christmas displays in stores. They were hard to find as only a few of them existed in the store I visited. I found this sort of odd but then again it was before Thanksgiving and I thought most of the decor is not out yet.

I went home and happily placed the lights in each window. Mom and dad can vouch for this....putting up the window lights was my job growing up. I loved placing them in the windows, even though finding extension cords and new bulbs was frustrating the finished product was beautiful. The house windows were a glow...it was Christmas!

As we rode through our neighborhood last night I saw one other house with window lights. In North Carolina, Ruffin and Raleigh I see lots of window lights. Is this a southern thing? An east coast tradition? Irish? Colonial? Religious roots? What does it mean to have a light in your window at Christmas?

So being me I did some Internet searching and found out that window lights have very many origins. Irish, Colonial, Religious. The lights welcome strangers who need a room on Christmas Eve. They welcome Mary and Joseph, showing you have room for them in your house. The lights guide angels to the newborn son.

"Many homes in Ireland still today will show a lighted candle, or perhaps today's equivalent, and much safer, electric lights, in the window of their home on Christmas Eve. This stems from the custom that to show a light in the window lighted the way of a stranger out after dark. It goes back to most ancient times, when the laws of hospitality were stronger and not abused. To have a light in your window on Christmas Eve to welcome the stranger meant that you were welcoming the Holy Family too. To have no light meant that you shared the guilt of the Innkeeper at Bethlehem who said, "No Room"! " www.christmasarchives.com

In Colonial times the candle was lit to welcome home a loved one. It showed warmth and security. It was used not only at Christmas but also used to announce a birth or the visit of a dignitary. Or to just plain celebrate.

My other internet research indicates that window lights are more common in New England and the Southern states, which probably explains why I don't see many here. Do you see window lights where you live?

So I will enjoy my lights with a new meaning. Merry Christmas!