Christmas Capitol of the World

City and County Building in Denver, Colorado

Denver is known to have one of the very first outdoor Christmas light displays because of Denver electrician David Sturgeon. In 1914, his son was too sick to celebrate Christmas with his family by their decorated tree but his father still wanted his son to be able to feel the holiday cheer! He dipped light bulbs in red and green paint, strung them with electrical wire, and placed them on a tree in his front yard in full view through his son’s window. Soon other Denver citizens began putting up outdoor holiday decorations like Sturgeon’s strand of lights.

 

By the 1920s many Denver homes glowed merry and bright with the spirit of Christmas, and the city proclaimed itself the “Christmas Capitol of the World.” In 1938, the city government began lighting up the City and County Building with Christmas lights, a tradition that continues to this day.