How Do Christmas Lights Work?

Power

Christmas lights are one of the key components in Christmas decorations. There are three main parts to the lights. And, one of them is power. Without electricity the bulbs won't light and there will be no twinkle in the night.

The Bulb

Another part to Christmas lights is the bulb. Bulbs have two wires that come up into the glass bulb and a filament that connects them. When electricity is sent in, the filament glows and the bulbs light. What keeps the bulbs lit when one goes out is a shunt that is placed below the filament. It is connected to the two internal wires and keeps the electrical current flowing even if the filament breaks.

Wires

Wiring is the third part to Christmas lights. Wires from the plug run to each bulb in a series. The wires connects to one side of the first bulb on the line, and then another piece of wire is connected to the other side of the bulb. The wire then continues to the next bulb in the line and repeats the process. Once at the end, the wire is sent in two directions. One is sent back to the beginning and connected to the plug so that the circuit is complete. The other is sent to a plug that is more like an outlet. This way another line of lights can be plugged in to extend the lights.