Personally when I think of an antique Christmas lights I always think of a candle. Generally speaking candles create the best lighting to highlight antique Christmas decorations, but this isn't always the safest. That's why from time to time it helps to rely on newer technology to give the illusion of an antique Christmas. One example is the use of technology would be lights that mimic the looks of candles, which can then be placed safely in window sills and even hung on your antique Christmas tree.
However, don't forget that there were antique Christmas lights that looked somewhat like our tree lights today. The early 1900's were a time where there were 2 main types of technologies found in the lights. There were those Christmas lights made with carbon filament and those built using tungsten filament. Most antique Christmas lights came with warnings never to mix the two.
If you actually find actual antique Christmas lights I would strongly suggest not actually using them. They can pose a hazard because of old electrical wiring, which can cause differences in brightness and cause burn outs, shorts, etc. If you end up using antique Christmas lights for decoration, please do not connect them to a power source, leave them up for display during the day only.
Pictures of antique Christmas Lights:
- Antique Christmas Lights
- Antique Christmas Lights
- Antique Christmas Lights


