Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

LIGHT SOCKET

Date Range From

1955

Date Range To

1960

Materials

METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

4

Diameter

1.5

Description

GREEN METAL CHRISTMAS BULB LIGHT SOCKET. CYLINDRICAL BODY WITH RIBBED TEXTURE. CLIP ON BOTTOM.

Subjects

CEREMONIAL ARTIFACT

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

ACCORDING TO DONOR TREVOR BENNET AT TIME OF DONATION, THE LIGHT SOCKETS WERE MANUFACTURED IN CALGARY AROUND 1959. THEY WERE A SHORT LIVED SYSTEM WHICH ENABLED ONE TO TURN ANY EXTENSION CHORD INTO A STRING OF LIGHTS. BENNET SAID, "I STILL HAVE NINE SOCKETS WHICH I HAVE ATTACHED TO AN EXTENSION CHORD WHICH IS USED EACH CHRISTMAS. THEY ARE UNSAFE AFTER THE SOCKETS HAVE BEEN MOVED AS BARE WIRE IS EXPOSED." FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* IN 2018 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF THE COLLECTION, INCLUDING A NUMBER OF ARTIFACTS DONATED BY TREVOR BENNETT. ON AUGUST 28, 2018, PUNDYK SAT DOWN WITH BENNETT FOR AN INTERVIEW REGARDING THAT DONATION. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THAT INTERVIEW: ON THE LIGHT SOCKET BENNETTT STATED, “THERE WAS ONE YEAR WHEN A CALGARY COMPANY MADE SOCKETS AND YOU SCREWED THEM APART AND YOU PUT YOUR STRING OF LIGHTS IN HERE. AS LONG AS YOU PUT ONE WIRE ON ONE POST AND THE OTHER WIRE ON THE POST BESIDE IT AND SCREWED IT UP TIGHT SO YOU COULD HAVE MORE LIGHTS ON A SINGLE STRING. THEY WERE SOLD, AS I RECALL, FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS AND MAGICALLY DISAPPEARED BY ORDER OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE, WHAT HAPPENED IS THESE SOCKETS, WHEN THEY SCREWED UP, PUNCTURED THE ELECTRICAL CABLE. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE ENDED UP, WHO HAD USED THESE AND HAD USED THEM SEVERAL TIMES GOT ELECTRIC SHOCKS FROM THE POWER CHORD. BECAUSE THE WIRE WAS NO LONGER PROTECTED.” “SO THEY WERE BANNED BUT I KEPT A HALF DOZEN OF THESE, NOT TO USE, BUT TO SEND TO THE GALT MUSEUM ONE DAY… AND I THINK THEY SHOULD BE KEPT AS AN EXAMPLE OF AN IDEA THAT WAS REALLY NEAT BUT SOMEWHAT WORSE THAN IMPRACTICAL BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF A SERIOUS SHORT CIRCUIT… I THREW MINE OUT EXCEPT FOR THE COUPLE OF THINGS I SAVED FOR THE GALT MUSEUM AS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO USE.” ON CHRISTMAS GROWING UP, “A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS WE STARTED DECORATING AND THEY STAYED UP ‘TIL JANUARY 1ST AND TAKEN DOWN ON JANUARY 2ND, AND THE BOXES FOR MOST OF THESE ITEMS WERE KEPT SO THEY’RE ABLE TO GO BACK IN THE BOXES. I WAS [RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DECORATIONS]. I HAD TO FIND THEM AND PUT THEM UP TAKE THEM DOWN, PACK THEM PROPERLY. AND IF THEY WEREN’T PACKED PROPERLY, NOTHING WAS SAID, THEY WERE JUST SIMPLY THROWN OUT. MY MOTHER WAS VERY GOOD AT HAVING THINGS TIDIED UP AND PUT AWAY WHERE THEY SHOULD GO. IF YOU COULDN’T TIDY IT UP, YOU COULDN’T KEEP IT. THAT WASN’T A BAD WAY OF GROWING UP. IT MADE ME LEARN RESPONSIBILITY FAST.” “[CHRISTMAS] WAS A NICE BREAK IN THE YEARLY ROUTINE. IT WAS A CHANCE TO MEET GOOD PEOPLE YOU ONLY SAW ONCE A YEAR. THE STORES HAD ALL SORTS OF NEAT THINGS. I REMEMBER EATON’S HAD AN ELECTRIC TRAIN SET WITH WONDERFUL SCENERY AROUND IT, THAT THEY USED TO SET UP IN THE BASEMENT OF THE STORE A CORNER. IT ATTRACTED ME AND DOZENS OF OTHER KIDS AS WELL.” FOR INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20060032011

Acquisition Date

2006-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail