How to Use a 9-Volt Battery to Bring New Life to Old Christmas Lightbulbs

Are you sitting there with an expensive yard-sale box of those pretty, old figural milk-glass Christmas lightbulbs (with ancient, itty-bitty screw-in bottoms) and the wrong-sized light cord in which to screw them to see if they work? I can help. Here is what I do to see if my vintage Christmas lightbulbs still work or not.

How I Light Up Old Christmas Lightbulbs:

Step One: Find a working 9v battery to test your old Christmas lightbulbs with.

Step Two: Do not touch the terminals of the battery or the metal part of the Christmas lightbulb with your hands, or you will get hurt.

Step Three: Without touching the metal terminals of the battery or the metal stem on the old Christmas lightbulb, put the metal stem of the Christmas lightbulb across the 9v battery top so that the Christmas lightbulb metal piece is touching both battery terminals.

Bingo! You have light!

Options: A 9v battery slips into your pocket while you are shopping yard sales, auctions, or antique stores for old figural Christmas lightbulbs; never leave home without it. Over the years, I have had some strange looks while I am magically lighting up bulbs in my hand before buying them... But, for the most part, magic makes people smile.

How I Carry An Emergency Light Supply While Backpacking:

Step One: I carry a small zip plastic bag of twinkle Christmas lightbulbs with the two wires sticking out of the bottom. These bulbs are about free to good home after the holidays when you can get a string of about 250 for around .50. And, I carry a few 9v batteries.

Step Two: Twinkle Christmas lightbulbs with the two wires hanging out can have the wires curled to hook one over each battery terminal before you hook them to the battery. Never touch the battery terminals or wires with your hands.

Step Three: Eventually, I will take one red Christmas lightbulb out of my pack at night, add the battery, and tuck it slightly behind a rock to see if I can have a little fun watching friends react to a tiny red Christmas lightbulb alien glow in the middle of nowhere.

How I Use Christmas Lightbulbs as Photography Props:

Step One: Hook your twinkle Christmas lightbulb to a 9v battery as explained above.

Step Two: These tiny lights can be placed to highlight areas while you are doing 35mm night time photography, or working with photos of items to be sold online. Sometimes a little backlighting is all that you need to turn a boring photograph into something special.