One of the most popular Christmas decorations is Christmas lights. Did you know that the idea for Christmas lights came from a star? About five centuries ago, a German priest, Martin Luther, was admiring the stars. The outdoor scene of stars and evergreen trees inspired him to decorate his Christmas tree with candles. Soon, households across Germany were doing the same.
最受歡迎的聖誕節裝飾品之一是聖誕燈。 你知道﹐史上第一個聖誕燈來自一顆星星?。大約五百年前，德國教士馬丁˙路德原本在欣賞星光，然後戶外星光和常青樹映照的美景帶來了靈感，使他想出了點蠟燭來裝飾聖誕樹的點子。很快地，德國家家戶戶都爭相仿效。
Though the candles were beautiful, they caused many fires. In 1882, a man named Edward Johnson put a string of 80 small electric lights on his Christmas tree. The tree was a huge attraction. By the 1930s, electric lights had almost completely replaced candles on Christmas trees, because electricity was widespread and the lights were cheap enough that most people could afford them.
不過，蠟燭雖美，卻容易引發火災。在1882年，愛德華˙強生，突然想到一個點子，他用一串供80個小燈泡來裝飾聖誕節，結果成為眾所矚目的焦點。直到1930年代，聖誕燈才取代了蠟燭。當時電力才開始普及，而民眾也才負擔得起電燈的電費。
Today, Christmas lights decorate more than just trees. The lights twinkle on homes, stores, churches, and even light poles.
如今，聖誕燈不只能裝飾聖誕樹，還會在住家、商店、教會、甚至燈柱上閃閃發光。
