Christmas Bubble Lights

Back in 1941, Carl Otis filed a patent for his concept of an ornamental illuminating device. Little did he know that this light, which was made of a sealed glass tube with a bubbling liquid inside, would become the popular Christmas decoration it is today.

What Are Christmas Bubble Lights?
Christmas bubble lights are special lights that have a colored liquid inside a glass encasing that creates bubbles when heated. The overall effect is both interesting and appealing.

Otis wasn't the first person to conceive of this idea. There were many others before Otis that made similar attempts to produce what we call today Christmas bubble lights. The major difference between and Otis and his predecessors was how he produced the bubbles inside the glass.

He used a special plug that was placed at the bottom of the glass tube to ensure that the bubbling chemical was as close as possible to the heat source. This helped the bubbles disperse more quickly and evenly.

Gaining Popularity
Prior to even receiving his patent, Otis sent out samples of the light to several Christmas light companies. NOMA Electric was the only one to respond. The company eventually purchased the manufacturing rights and hired Otis to continue his development of Christmas bubble lights.

Unfortunately, World War II prevented NOMA Electric from marketing Christmas bubble lights immediately. Today collectors still dispute whether they were introduced to the general public in 1945 or 1946. Regardless, since their introduction they have become a beloved decoration.

The success of that NOMA Electric had with the introduction inspired many other Christmas light manufacturers to begin work on their own version. Although this led to many legal battles and disputes, the production of Christmas bubble lights continued.

Christmas Bubble Lights Today
Over the years, the way that Christmas bubble lights are made has changed, but the effect is still the same. They are now available in a variety of colors, sizes, and styles.