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Thanksgiving's behind us, the end of the week brings December, and from there it's a straight shot to Christmas. For enthusiasts of fir tree decoration, the time has arrived. Haul out the ornaments, unbox the tinsel, and, most importantly, release the twinkling lights.

Since 1999, The Antique Christmas Lights Museum has chronicled the luminous history of how Americans have bedecked and brightened their Christmas trees using electricity. We wrote about the site back in 2000, when the webpage was called "Bill's Antique Christmas Lights Site." Now retitled, the site continues to cast an incandescent light across the Web.

When we emailed the museum's curator, George Nelson, he talked to us about how September 11 effected the site, what's the most outlandish tree lighting of all, and how he illuminates his own tree...

Hey George! In 2000, we listed your site in the Yahoo! Directory as "Bill's Antique Christmas Lights Site." Now it's called "The Antiques Christmas Lights Museum." Why the name change—and who is Bill?

Bill is my deceased brother, who originally started the site. I took it over, and expanded the site, including many updates that Bill was going to upload before his passing. I have become just as hooked on the old lights as Bill was, and it has now become one of my many obsessions. The name change reflects the intention and purpose of the site, which is to share America's electrical Christmas heritage.

How have peoples' responses to the site surprised you—if at all?

I'm constantly amazed at the amount of e-mails and letters I get from the site. Many are requests for help in finding some lights remembered from childhood, while others are simple notes of thanks for sparking a memory or bringing back the "old days." Surprisingly few people write to ask the value of their lights, as most site visitors pick up on the fact that I collect and share for the historical and information value, not for making a buck.

After 9/11, the site was flooded with e-mails from people desperate to find light sets from their childhood. It was a trying time for everyone, and a very dark time in our nation's history. People wanted the comfort and safety of home, and wanted to be reminded of simpler times when they saw the world through the eyes of their youth. From October through December of that year, more than 4,300 e-mails were received.

Some of the more interesting e-mails, especially memories of Christmas past, are shared with site visitors on the Christmas Memories page. Read the full profile...