You might think you’ve got December all figured out—lights, gifts, ugly sweaters, and maybe a little end-of-year chaos—but there’s way more hiding beneath the tinsel. This is the month where history and holidays collide in the best (and weirdest) ways.
It’s when a protest over tea helped launch a revolution. When an old red-suited myth took shape, and when wars ended—or began. It’s home to dazzling meteor showers, polar nights, unexpected world records, and toy store meltdowns so intense they became part of holiday lore. From Beethoven to Blackouts, Nobel Prizes to moonwalks, December is secretly one of the most action-packed months on the calendar.
So before you reach for another sugar cookie or fall into a wrapping paper coma, take a minute to test how much you really know about this final chapter of the year. Some questions you’ll get right away. Others might leave you blinking like a string of lights that just shorted out.
History lesson
The First Artificial Tree Lights Up
Before string lights were untangled every December and wrapped haphazardly around trees, homes, and unsuspecting pets, holiday lighting was a dangerous affair. In the 19th century, most Christmas trees were lit with candles—a flickering tradition that gave off warm ambiance and a serious fire risk. Enter Edward Hibberd Johnson, a lesser-known but pivotal figure in the story of American invention.
Johnson was not only a friend of Thomas Edison but also his business partner and early promoter. In December 1882, at his home on East 36th Street in New York City, Johnson debuted something the world had never seen: a Christmas tree illuminated by electricity. He hand-wired 80 walnut-sized incandescent bulbs—red, white, and blue—and arranged them around a rotating evergreen tree mounted on a motorized stand. It blinked. It twirled. It stopped pedestrians in their tracks.
A reporter from the Detroit Post and Tribune described the scene: “It was brilliantly lighted with…eighty lights in all encircling its branches.” Still, the invention didn’t exactly go viral—most people didn’t even have access to electricity, and public trust in the new technology was shaky (as in, “explode-your-house” shaky).
But Johnson kept pushing. Each year, he added more bulbs and improved the design. Within two decades, electric lights were popping up in department store displays. By the 1920s, General Electric was selling pre-assembled light kits to brave early adopters. The rest, quite literally, is holiday history.
So if you’ve ever grumbled while detangling a knotted strand of lights or debated whether “warm white” looks better than “multicolor,” you’ve got Edward H. Johnson—and his 1882 glowing tree—to thank.
Quiz Writer
Gennie dances through life with the grace of a leaf caught in a playful gust. That is to say, she continuously finds herself moving to the ever-changing rhythms of the world around her. She often shares stories of swaying to the melodies of Vivaldi and Chopin and a touch of Ella Fitzgerald during her early years. Gennie never misses a beat, whether she's penning evocative stories that resonate deeply or solving intricate puzzles that challenge the mind. Currently, she's weaving words for her upcoming book, a title she playfully keeps a secret. Dive into a conversation with her, and you'll quickly find yourself captivated by her tales, riddles, and the vibrant energy she brings to every encounter.
Did you know?
The first U.S. Christmas postage stamp wasn’t issued until December 1962
Despite decades of holiday cards crisscrossing the country, it took until the Kennedy administration for the Postal Service to officially embrace a Christmas theme. The 1962 design was simple: a white candle, a green wreath, and a red bow. Demand was so intense—over a billion were sold—that post offices ran out and had to reorder mid-season.
This sparked an annual tradition and a collectible craze, but it also started a light-hearted debate: should the government issue stamps with religious holiday symbols? (Spoiler: they still do.)
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