Christmas Lights Archive

Probably the key budget Christmas lighting set in the Woolworths range during the 1980s and 1990s, these sets of 20, 40 or 50 lights featured coloured tulip-style shades with matching push-in lamps.

This style of shade was extremely common and identical versions were offered by other brands including Swan, Porth and Premier Decorations as well as in various retailers as an own-brand product.

20 light set variations noted:

40 light set variations noted:

50 light set variations noted:

In 1999, the traditional petal shades were retired and a very different replacement was introduced. Large, pointed shades surrounded long, coloured bulbs to a bespoke design that were not interchangeable with other sets in the range.

Not without its own appeal, this design did appear to have been built down to a price, featuring only four colours of bulb and the less user-friendly option of arranging the lights on a loop of cable instead of in a straight line.

20 light set variations noted:

50 light set variations noted:

Multi-coloured light sets with a central translucent shade and a foil surround. Designs of the foil varied, from geometric textured discs to petal-style shapes. Fitted with coloured push-in lamps.

20 light set variations noted:

40 light set variations noted:

Typically referred to as 'crystals' or 'diamonds', these sets had distinctive spiky shades.

Woolworths dropped this design in the second half of the 1980s, but similar lights were available from other manufacturers well into the 2000s.

20 light set variations noted:

40 light set variations noted: