LIGHT UP THE NIGHT
Why Do We Hang Christmas Lights?
fire hazard, Edward Hibberd Johnson, a close friend of Thomas Edison and vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, vowed to find a better way to decorate Christmas trees with light. In December 1882, three years after Edison’s invention of the lightbulb in November 1879, Johnson hand- wired 80 red, white, and blue lightbulbs together and wound them around a Christmas tree in his parlor window. A passing reporter saw the spectacle and declared in the Detroit Post and Tribune, “One can hardly imagine anything prettier.” Johnson continued this tradition, increasing the number of lights each year and eventually putting them up outside. But because electricity was still a new concept, many years passed before the fad took off for regular Americans. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge began the tradition of lighting the National Christmas Tree, which spurred the idea of selling stringed lights commercially. By the 1930s, families everywhere were buying boxes of bulbs by the dozen. Today, an estimated 150 million Christmas lights are sold in America each year, decorating 80 million homes and consuming 6% of the nation’s electricity every December. Whether you’ll be putting up your own lights or appreciating the most impressive light displays in your neighborhood or town, let the glow fill you with joy this season. Just don’t leave them up until February!
The first string of twinkling lights illuminating your neighbor’s house is always a telltale sign of the upcoming seasonal festivities. Christmas lights are a holiday staple, but have you ever wondered where this beloved tradition started?
The tradition of hanging lights on the tree originally started with candles. Because this posed an immense
DON’T SPEND THE HOLIDAYS IN HANDCUFFS
The Dangers of Holiday Shoplifting
While holiday shopping is stress-inducing enough, facing a shoplifting charge is even worse. It happens to more people than you think, especially impressionable teens. And while many believe this crime to be “petty” or “no big deal,” it’s consequences can last for years to come. Why During the Holidays? Shoplifting is a year-round issue, but it spikes during the season of giving. This is sad but understandable —many retailers put their most valuable merchandise on display this time of year, making it that much more tempting to take something. Furthermore, the pressure to get yourself or someone else something nice but out of your price range is heightened this time of year. The stress of the holidays can lead good people to do bad things from time to time. However, the law doesn’t care what time of year it is. A crime is a crime. More Than Just Taking Something According to Texas law, shoplifting is a theft crime. It can be characterized by physically taking an item from a place of business, but it can also include acts
like switching the price tag on a product in hopes of paying less. As a theft crime, the severity of shoplifting charges can vary based on the value of the item(s) that was stolen. Penalties can range from those of a Class C misdemeanor all the way up to third-degree felonies. Additional Consequences On top of facing criminal charges, the Texas Theft Liability Act allows retailers to sue convicted shoplifters for the value of the item(s) they stole, as well as up to $1000 in additional fines. If the shoplifter is under 18, their parents may be sued instead. Beyond this monetary cost, a conviction would mean having the theft on your criminal record. It will appear on background checks, which may affect your ability to find employment, qualify for student aid, or even be accepted into college. If you or a loved one has been accused of shoplifting, an expert Fort Worth criminal defense attorney can help. Even if you were convicted for a mistake in your youth, we may be able to expunge the incident from your record and get your life back on track.
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