Need Christmas Decorating Ideas? How ’bout Lighted Candy Canes?
Tuesday, September 19th, 2006
If you’re one of those people who is always competing with every one else on the block for the biggest, best, brightest Christmas lighting display, here’s a decoration for you. These giant candy canes will cost you $1,800, but you get 228 UL listed C7 bulbs on a resilient powder-coated steel frame that includes all the tools, wires, and extra parts you need to get this sucker lit up. And did I mention it’s big? The candy canes stand 8.3 feet tall and 6.8 feet wide. (Don’t worry… the contraption collapses into something more compact for off-season storage).
I’ve heard of rechargeable lamps before but nothing like this. I like them though. Called “Puff Out Lights,” they are made from leather and blown glass (isn’t that an interesting combination?) and “embody the interaction of candlelight”. You clap to turn them on (this is supposed to symbolize the striking of a match) and blow on them to turn them off (even closer to the candle theme). In between, the light from the lamp flickers gently to emulate real flame. I wouldn’t mind a couple of these in my stocking at Christmas in case anybody wealthy I know is reading this… (okay, okay, I don’t know any wealthy people, but one can hope for random acts of charity from the rich)
Here’s a Christmas gift idea for anyone who’s notorious for investing time and money pimping his (or her) car/truck/SUV/motorcycle out. StreetGlow’s LED tire lights are available in neo blue, green, red, white, orange, yellow, or purple. The battery-operated lights work off a motion sensor, so they only light up when the vehicle is in motion. (They also work on bicycles, if you’d like to add some snazzy bike lights to your two-wheeler. It definitely makes things safer for riding at night.) To install the LED lights, you simply screw them to the valve stem of your tire. They are available for $17 from Amazon:
Ah, the fiber optic whale lamp you never knew you always needed. I can’t help it: I’m drawn to cheesy lamps. I wouldn’t actually pay money for them, but I feel compelled to share my findings with the world (or at least the three people who read my blog… Hi, mom). Aside from being cheesy, this lamp changes colors. “Enjoy this wonder of the sea as it changes color right before your eyes! Features a color wheel inside the whale and fiber optics as the whale’s spray.” Where else can you get such entertainment for a mere $27.20? 
You just don’t see enough table lamps equipped with pitchforks, do you? This red devil lamp is interesting (and when I say interesting, I mean who would buy this?), and I’m not sure what kind of room I could imagine it in. A frat house, maybe? Still, it gets bonus points (and a blog post) for being something I haven’t seen before. If you’re interested (in a different way than I thought this was interesting), the lamp costs $24 and is available from Blue Frog Goods. They have quite a few unique lamps over there, so the site is worth a browse.
If you think dining room tables need to be boring old wood or glass things, think again. This table has 448 LEDs of various colors embedded into it, and their job isn’t simply to sit there either. They respond to motion, so it actually seems like the lights are moving around beneath the surface. Something like that might have even made me eat my broccoli as a kid (I’m sure the veggies wouldn’t have tasted any better, but I might have been too distracted to remember I didn’t like them…). The table and its 448 LEDs are driven by a 16-node analog computer network. 
If you’re looking for a fun way to brighten up a wall or delineate an area, these LED light curtains could do the trick. It’s sort of a modern version of those hanging door beads from the 60s. The 10 foot high, 6.5 foot wide curtains can be strung together to do a wide space, or hung in a single segment. 1 unit has 950 LEDs (you can choose the color or get a multi-color curtain) and 38 strings with 25 LEDs per string. All this lighting technology doesn’t come cheap though; each unit is $450 (a lot more expensive than those old door beads). But if you’ve got the money to spend, this could be an interesting alternative to your usual party decorations.
If you’re looking for some funky lighting for the children’s room, check out these hat lamps. “Lamp shades designed after hats? Yes! Whimsical lamp shades made of fabric give off a warm, colorful glow. The Hat Lamps will put a smile on your face and add a little fun to any decor.” Pretty funky, hunh? The name of the company that sells them is even called Funky Lights. The hat lamps themselves are available in three color combinations: red with black accents, tan with black accents, and green with blue accents. The lamps are priced at $25 a piece and take 40 watt bulbs.
Are your beverages looking a little bland at the get-togethers you host? Here’s a fun way to add some interest to the drink-serving process and maybe start up some conversations. These 1-inch square “lite cubes” are made from non-toxic plastic and filled with an FDA-approved freezable gel that will keep your drinks cold just as regular ice cubes would. Solid or multi-colored LEDs and tiny lithium ion batteries power the lights once they’re activated (there’s a little button you push on the bottom of each cube). The lifespan of each light is 12 hours, and they can be turned off and on again, if your party doesn’t last all night. The price runs $30 for a set of 8.