The Great Christmas Light Shortage of '09

By Marcus Gilmer in Miscellaneous on Dec 16, 2009 5:00PM

Earlier this week, we mentioned the Christmas Light hotline you could call should you run into problems with your holiday decorations. That hotline is probably really busy right now as Christmas lights are reportedly selling fast across the area, leaving many stores short-stocked. The Tribune investigates:

Jermaine Reid, an assistant manager at the Home Depot at Lincoln Avenue and Kimball Avenue on the far Northwest Side, said Tuesday that the store has sold 3,000 light sets since Black Friday, a number he says is above normal, and that shelves there are almost bare. Elsewhere, a Target spokesman said that since that store expanded its line of LED Christmas lights, it has struggled to keep lights in stock.

So what gives? Reid suggested people saved up to buy more lights this year but overall seemed sorta mystified. And, after all, we are in a recession. Perhaps the cheap lights are a way to indulge in the Christmas spirit when tight family budgets prohibit lavish spending on presents. Or maybe as a grumpy 2009 gives way to a potentially even grumpier 2010, people just want to get their inner Girswold on to get into the Christmas spirit. I wouldn't know; when I sent Chuck to Target with $50 to get lights for the office, he came back with $50 worth of candy canes.