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It may seem strange, but I associate Christmas with a certain kind of light bulb. This light bulb, known as the C 7 1/2 watt, is today used for a wide variety of purposes, from decorative lanterns, elevator lights, indicator lights, and night lights, but it is most closely associated with old-fashioned Christmas lights. They are oval shaped, either clear or painted with transparent paint (filament shows through), or translucent paint (filament doesn't show). They are quite widely available. The clear glass version produces a cheery light about the size and brightness of a wax candle. As a child, one of the most wonderful and exciting preparations for Christmas I remember at the Farm was the placing in each and every window of the Farmhouse a single electric candle, holding one of these bulbs. Gramp told me that the placing of the candles in the windows is to let the Baby Jesus know that there is a place for him at the house. Of course, I didn't believe in that any more than I believed in Santa Claus, but it was a nice story. There were at least 30 windows in the Farm, and it took quite a while to set them all up. Gramp had an elaborate system for determining which candles went where. The candles were very old, dating from the late 30's, and he had replaced the cords and plugs on most of them. Each candle had a different length of wire, and we sorted the candles by cord length. I guess he had bought wire and plugs at Spag's in Worcester, and had rewired them himself. Gramp had a three-step process for installing them...Mike held down the candle, John tested the bulb, and I taped the candle to the window with masking tape. Then, every time we visited the farm during the holidays, my grandmother would say, as dusk fell, "OK, boys, go around and turn on the lights." We would then go to each of the rooms in the house and tighten the bulbs. John P. McGrail, my grandfather, was a very devout Catholic, and he observed the religious calendar very strictly. Therefore, he never lit the candles before Christmas Eve, and he kept them lit until Jan. 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, the day the Wise Men came with gifts for the baby Jesus. Originally, before about 1967, the bulbs were orange. They were old bulbs, and some of the paint was off of some of them. Later, after 1967 or so, he replaced the orange bulbs with new white ones, and the effect was even more lovely, adding an evocative grandeur to the place. The lights could be seen nearly a mile away. The sight of the farmhouse lit up on a winter's night, from a distance, is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I will carry this sight in my memory as long as I live. Today, in my bathroom, there is a night-light that uses these bulbs. I think of the Farm every time I see it, and every time I see the bulb in a store, a Christmas tree, or even and electric menorah. Today is January 5, 2005, and I'm looking out my front window through two candles. When I own my own home someday, I hope also to light it up at Christmas time. Maybe longer than just the 12 days of Christmas. --James A. McGrail copyright 2005 mcgrailfarm.com all rights reserved. As always, we welcome comments. Click here for story comment Return Home | What's New | People | Pictures of the Farmhouse | Pictures of the Barns | Pictures of the Grounds | Odds and Ends | Souvenirs | FAQ | Contact Us | mcgrailfarm.com web log | The Sale of the Farm | |
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