Lights fill the roof of the covered bridge at the Barlow Fairgrounds.

Christmas lights, the bright specks of light illuminating parks, streets and light poles all over the Mid-Ohio Valley have their roots in an old German tradition with their modern origin starting as a clever marketing idea.

In the 17th Century, people in Germany began putting candles on trees to illuminate the ornaments. The practice of putting flames in a cut tree in your home was dangerous and caused many fires.

During the Christmas season of 1880, Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light bulb, hung the first string of lights outside his Menlo Park laboratory in New Jersey. People passing by on a nearby railroad could see them glowing each night, according to an article from the Library of Congress.

Edison’s friend and colleague Edward Johnson put the first string of lights in a tree in the front window of his home in 1882.

The 80 red, white and blue lights on a rotating tree were a big hit in his neighborhood. It would be a while before they were widely seen across the country. The main drawback was cost. Before the turn of the century, a typical Christmas tree would cost around $2,000 in today’s dollars to light, according to the Library of Congress.

A home along Ohio 676 near Marietta is covered by lights.

President Grover Cleveland gave the tradition a boost when he lit a White House tree with electric lights. The cost finally came down in 1903 when General Electric began selling kits of preassembled string lights at Christmas.

Christmas lights today light 80 million homes and consume 6% of the nation’s electricity in December, according to an article in Smithsonian Magazine.

In The Mid-Ohio Valley, Christmas lights adorn many homes and buildings, including the main thoroughfares of Market Street in Parkersburg, Grand Central Avenue in Vienna and Front Street in Marietta.

Lights also illuminate many municipal parks. Various civic organizations provide some of the displays.

Highlights include:

Lights reflect in the pond at Belpre’s Civitan Park.

City Park in Parkersburg — A number of organizations have added touches of their own to this driving tour of lights.

Civitan Park in Belpre — Covering a large part of the park, the lights can be enjoyed both by car as well as on foot on the walking path that weaves through the park.

Cisler Terrace Park in Marietta — Located at the corner of Ephram Cutler and Seventh Street, the park is decorated every year by the Marietta Civitan Club.

Armory in Marietta — The display on the front lawn features a large tree as well as lit figures.

Tomlinson Park in Williamstown — A large nativity scene dominates the front of the park.

Dodge Park in Beverly — The popular park in the center of the community has a wide variety of lit displays.

Jackson Park in Vienna — Lights throughout the park give it a festive feel.

Just as impressive are some of the displays in the yards of area homes. Ranging from traditional to huge displays, the Christmas displays provide bright spots all over the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Frosty and Santa light up a front yard in the 100 block of Scammel Street.

Trees by different organizations line the sidewalk at Muskingum Park in Marietta.