This remarkable site Old Christmas Lights has an amazing collection of pictures and history about the significant events in holiday lighting since the invention of the light bulb.
I remember the bubbler lights from when I was a kid, but I never knew that christmas lights were even created in what we now think of as ornament shapes. As Mr. Spock would say, “Fascinating.”
For even more history check out what makes the 1970s the decade to be avoided, as in these examples from fashion hell, especially Musikanterna.