Regionalism?

I keep forgetting to post this.

We were riding around one night recently, admiring the Christmas lights in the course of the drive, and Deb asked me what was up with the individual lights in windows.

I was jaw droppingly surprised, and explained they were essentially electric candles, very common around here all my life.  Something to do with an ancient practice of putting candles in windows to light the way for the Christ child, or something.  Many houses use only those and perhaps an inside Christmas tree visible in a window; no outside lights.

She had never seen them and I was surprised to learn it’s apparently a regional thing.  Is anyone else aware of it being regional to use the candle-like single bulb Christmas lights in windows?  If it really is regional, I wonder how widely it is practiced.

1. People do it in Georgia.  You see ‘em everywhere.  Get ‘em cheap at Wal-Mart, too.

   Posted by Acidman  on  12/26  at  07:23 PM

2. My parents have always had them. They were both born and raised in Massachusetts.

   Posted by Kathy K  on  12/26  at  07:59 PM

3. I’ve seen in mostly in New England, with either a single or ‘triple’ candle in each window. I’ve also seen it here and there in the South and in the Mid West.

   In New England you’ll see it throughout teh small towns, particularly in the historical districts.

   Posted by DCE  on  12/26  at  08:29 PM

4. We have them here in Texas. Matter of fact, they are very popular here.

   Posted by  on  12/26  at  10:50 PM

5. It’s certainly done in suburban Detroit in Michigan, and probably all of the Lower Peninsula.  I’ve never been in the U.P. around Xmas.

   Posted by Ian Hamet  on  12/27  at  02:05 AM

6. The people on the next block always had them in Fresno.  Of course, they were up all year long.  There’s a house in Carrboro that also leaves them up all year long.

   Posted by caltechgirl  on  12/27  at  11:53 AM

7. We always had them and we lived on both the east and west coasts when I was growing up. My roommate (from SC) put them in her windows at the house.

   Posted by jen  on  12/27  at  01:45 PM

8. I’m starting to think that I’m either terribly unobservant or I lived in some weird neighborhoods.

   Posted by Deb  on  12/27  at  02:14 PM

9. My mom and dad dragged theirs from Boston to Cleveland and Cleveland to Chicago.  Can’t imagine Christmas without’em.

   Posted by Omnibus Driver  on  12/27  at  06:16 PM

10. Several years ago, WS’s mother came to visit from Kansas and was excited to find those types of lights at the local Home Cheapo. Seems she knew about them but couldn’t find them in the midwest.

    Posted by Bogie  on  12/28  at  09:33 AM

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