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Did you know?
  • The original Rudolph did not have a red nose. In that day and age, red noses were seen as an indicator of chronic alcoholism and Montgomery Ward didn’t want him to look like a drunkard. To complete the original picture, he was almost named Reginald or Rollo.
  • The Christmas wreath was originally hung as a symbol of Jesus. The holly represents his crown of thorns and the red berries the blood he shed.
  • The three traditional colors of most Christmas decorations are red, green and gold. Red symbolizes the blood of Christ, green symbolized life and rebirth, and gold represents light, royalty and wealth.
  • Tinsel was invented in 1610 in Germany and was once made of real silver.
  • The oldest artificial Christmas trees date back to the late 1800s and were made of green raffia (think grass hula skirts) or dyed goose feathers. Next the Addis Brush Company used their machinery that wove toilet brushes to create pine-like branches for artificial Christmas trees that were less flammable and could hold heavier decorations.
  • ‘Jingle Bells’ – the popular Christmas song was composed by James Pierpont in Massachusetts, America. It was, however, written for thanksgiving and not Christmas.
  • Coca-Cola was the first company that used Santa Claus during the winter season for promotion.
  • Hallmark introduced their first Christmas cards in 1915.
  • The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine. A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on that day.
  • Santa Claus's sleigh is led by eight reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder (variously spelled Donder and Donner), and Blixem (variously spelled Blixen and Blitzen), with Rudolph being a 20th-century inclusion.
  • Outdoor Christmas lights on homes evolved from decorating the traditional Christmas tree and house with candles during the Christmas season. Lighting the tree with small candles dates back to the 17th century and originated in Germany before spreading to Eastern Europe.
  • That big, jolly man in the red suit with a white beard didn’t always look that way. Prior to 1931, Santa was depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to a spooky-looking elf. He has donned a bishop's robe and a Norse huntsman's animal skin. When Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly in 1862, Santa was a small elflike figure who supported the Union. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan to the red he’s known for today.
    • Christmas 2018 countdown has already begun. Will you be ready??? Why do we love Christmas? It's all about the traditions. In this chaotic world we can miss the "good old days." Christmas reminds us of that time.

    jshelby

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    About jshelby

    • Rank
      Senior Member
    • Birthday 07/27/1958

    Profile Information

    • My favorite Christmas story
      I have always liked the sight of Christmas lights.
    • Location
      Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA
    • Biography
      Co-manage a 110 acre display as an electrical contractor.
    • Interests
      The only hobby I have is Christmas lighting and sequencing lights.
    • Occupation
      electrician
    • About my display
      The display is 110 acres that started in 1984. We introduced LOR in 2006 with 5 acres of the display.

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    1. jshelby
      Thanks for the help................James.
    2. jshelby
      I am looking for wire frame clips for 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8 rod, using m5 mini LED sets. Looking for 20k each size. I'm not having much luck finding anything on line.
    3. jshelby
      Sounds like the way to go. I have totes full of c9's I was going to trash looks like some of them found a new home. Thanks for the help. It would be nice to know why that works and not the snubbers.
    4. Big J Illinois started following jshelby
    5. jshelby
      Hummm I was thinking the same thing. I will do that in the end but I was hoping for a no maintenance permanent fix. But there is no load so the incandescent bulbs could last forever.
    6. jshelby
      I have a bunch of old animation controllers used for my old incandescent wire frame scenes but now everything has been changed over to full wave LED, of course, the controllers don't work. I have played with snubbers and resistors but I can't make them work right. I really need these to work can someone please help me figure this out or if it can't be fixed what 4 channel controllers will work with LED's?
    7. jshelby
      Thanks for the post I was looking for three of them and could not find them anywhere.
    8. jshelby
      Wow thanks. I do buy stuff from Val now so I'll give her a call.
    9. jshelby
      Has anyone used colored caps on incandescent strands and could they be used on LEDs?
    10. jshelby
      I have found these at Ace Hardware BUT I don't want to pay $4.99 per 20. Does anyone have another source for these clips, I need a few thousand.
    11. jshelby
      OMG I'm looking at using 10k to 15k just this year. I found someone to build them for me, I should have them in 6 to 8 weeks.
    12. jshelby
      I have heard that the 5/16" clips might work. Being this late in the year I would hate to go back and forth to find out it don't work.
    13. jshelby
      Here is a strange one 3/8" clips, no not the ones 1/4"X3/8" for 3/8" rope lighting but the ones for mini lights on 3/8" frames. I know the most I can find is 1/4". Thanks
    14. jshelby
      A small part of the total display, 110 acres 2 million+ lights total. Only 935 channels and growing.
    15. jshelby
      I'm up and running. If anyone needs a tour let me know, I'm out of here until next Monday. Also I was told our 30th is next year 2011 so it looks like I'm not getting the year off. I need to build some wire frames the size of semi's for the 2011 show.
    16. jshelby
      Same here. I'm taking next year off myself but 2012 is our 30th year for Christmas lights and we are looking for ideas now.
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