A bright abundance of Christmas spirit

Christmas lights originated centuries ago in Germany with candles attached to an evergreen tree. While flickering flames are festive, they are also a fire hazard. It took Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb, to bring Christmas tree lighting to where it is today.

In 1882 Edward Hibberd Johnson, an associate of Edison, saw an economic opportunity. Setting up a tree by the street-side window of his par- lor, Johnson wired 80 red, white, and blue light bulbs together and strung them around the tree, placed the tree’s trunk on a revolving pedestal, and called a reporter who filed the following: “At the rear of the beautiful parlor was a large Christmas tree presenting a most picturesque and uncanny aspect.” The lights drew a crowd that stopped to peer at the glowing marvel.

A string of 16 vaguely flame-shaped bulbs sitting in brass sockets the size of shot glasses sold for a pricey $12 (about $350 in today’s money) in 1900. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland put electric lights on the White House tree, and by 1914, a 16-foot string cost $1.75. By the 1930s, Christmas lights were everywhere.

A remarkable Christmas light story started in El Dorado. In the early 1980s, El Dorado’s downtown had a small smattering of Christmas lights.

None of our municipal buildings or our courthouse had any, and streetlight poles weren’t Christmas lighted. There were only a few minor lights on the retail shops.

Councilwoman Vertis Mason, after viewing several towns in east Texas with elaborate lighting displays of white lights on their courthouses, was determined to get Christmas lights for our downtown courthouse and other buildings.

She first tried to get the local Chamber of Commerce to help with the lighting request, but was turned down. “All of our budget is for recruiting jobs,” she was told.

That might have stopped some folks, but it only made Vertis more determined, and she raised $20,000 in one week. That successful fundraising kicked off a Christmas lighting drive, which ultimately was joined by the City of El Dorado, Union County, Main Street, the Chamber of Commerce, and various merchants and property owners, and before the fundraising was finished, well over $100,000 was raised.

Instead of just stringing up lights, a national lighting display company was hired to come up with recommendations and lighting designs. Today the lights you see on downtown buildings, the courthouse, City Hall, the viaduct, and in dozens of downtown buildings are there because of the recommendations and designs by this company.

When the lighting design company arrived in town, its first order of business was to point out that you must have a theme. The principal building downtown, the courthouse, is too large for little white lights.

To make it as Christmassy as possible and to get the best visual results, the company recommended large red and green bulbs and designed extra-large hangings of predominately red and green displays for the courthouse, City Hall, and the main fire station. In addition, it encouraged downtown property owners add red and green bulb strings to the tops of their buildings, awnings, and store windows.

The red and green theme was unanimously approved by the city, county, chamber of commerce, Main Street, and the Downtown Merchants Association. Today, if anyone in the central business district needs bulbs or light strands they can contact Teresa, our light bulb lady.

After the Christmas lighting design team finished with its work in the central business district, its members encouraged the city to extend the light theme down West Avenue, the primary entrance, by placing garland lights on light poles, along with urging the strip shopping centers on the avenue to do so as well.

As the Christmas lighting caught on, all of the major property owners and businesses participated. Murphy Oil, Murphy USA, Potlatch-Deltic, First Financial Bank and Bancorp South led the group. All of these companies have red and green lights outlining the roofs of their buildings, and many have added rooftop displays.

A project such as this is never finished, but this year we have reached a milestone. Over 90 percent of our courthouse square has red and green lighting, and numerous individuals who live on streets connected to downtown have added red and green stands to their lighting displays.

With such a display of Christmas lights, you must have a lighting ceremony. On Nov. 18, several thousand gathered on the east side of the courthouse for the holiday season’s opening event, which featured dancers, choirs, and flipping of the switch by “Mailman” Karl Malone as everyone cheered.

Earlier in the fall, El Dorado Main Street added Bluetooth speakers to downtown street light poles, which are already wrapped in green and red lighted garlands, and during the holidays these speakers are playing Christmas music.

Main Street has started painting crosswalks with large colorful designs, and the Murphy Arts District has joined in with a full-size replica of an oil derrick edged with red and green lighting. Another addition is on the edge of downtown, where the tallest lighted Christmas tree in the state— a TV tower hung with strands of lights—is located.

You just can’t get more Christmassy than downtown El Dorado.