Christmas Lights Made in USA- Do They Exist?

Are you on the hunt for American made Christmas lights? If so, you are probably scratching your head bald by now wondering, “Do Christmas lights Made in USA even exist?”. Well our editors have searched high and low too and here is what we found.

The history of many popular products, like electric Christmas lights, starts in America. The first outdoor light display was created in 1879 in New Jersey by no other than Thomas Edison. He set up a display for New Year's Eve. The following year he set up another outdoor display for Christmas. The first electric lights used on a Christmas tree were in New York in 1882 by Edward Johnson who happened to be the vice president of Edison's electric company. Because of the high cost of these strings of electric light, Christmas lights did not become widely used by consumers until the 1920s when lighting technology advanced and the cost to make them became cheaper. By 1925 there were 15 manufacturers of Christmas lights in the US and American companies dominated the market.

ARE THERE ANY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS MADE IN THE USA TODAY?

It appears that there is no manufacturer of Christmas lights anywhere in the USA. Several things happened that affected the manufacturing of Christmas lights in the USA. First, in the 1950s aluminum Christmas trees became a huge trend. Do to the conductivity of aluminum, electric Christmas lights could not be strung on these trees. This started a decrease in the demand for Christmas lights. Second, depending on your age, you might remember the Christmas lights of the past that were made in the USA. They were glass, large, required a lot of power, and they could get very hot to the touch. In the 1960s a cheaper to make and less energy sucking mini light was invented. Over the next 30 years, American manufacturers of Christmas lights struggled to compete with the cheaper to make lights coming from overseas. In the late 1990s LED lighting was introduced. There are currently no manufacturers of LED lighting in the USA.

However, there are companies that manufacture Christmas decorations in the USA that include LED lights (Remember: the lights themselves are NOT made in the USA).

Made in USA Decorations with LED Lights

We have a huge list of Christmas decorations made in the USA! Check it out.

Crab Pot Trees

Crab Pot Trees indoor and outdoor Christmas trees are handcrafted in North Carolina from mesh wiring left over from crab trap manufacturing. Strands of LED lighting are attached to these fabulous tree shaped wire creations for easy holiday lighting displays indoors and outdoors. Crab Pot Trees come in multiple sizes and are very easy to set up and fold for storage. Learn more about Crab Pot Trees in our feature, American Made Crab Pot Trees with LED Lights.

Save 30% off of any Crab Pot Trees you order by going to https://crabpottrees.com/promo and entering promo code USALOVE. No expiration date.

Don't miss our tips for holiday decorating and holiday decoration storage– all with American made products.

Christmas by Carlisle Bubble Lights

Christmas by Carlisle Bubble Lights are heirloom quality Christmas lights that reflect the beloved nostalgic design. They are constructed of the finest materials ever used in a commercial application. Bubble Lights are made in the USA, assembled and shipped from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Do you know of a company that manufactures Christmas decorations with LED lights that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

Have you visited our Made in USA Shopping District? It is the place to start your shopping when you want to find the best of American-made.

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