LED Christmas Crystal Lights

About this lantern

A small lantern roughly the height of a mug, with a winter scene painted inside. One touch on the top starts the warm light, sets fine glitter drifting down through it, and plays a short piece of festive music. It sits on a shelf, a mantel or a side table and takes up about as much room as a paperback, so it fits in the gaps that a bigger decoration cannot use.

What is inside the frame

A painted figure in a small winter scene, sitting behind clear panels. Above it, loose glitter drifts down through the light and settles at the bottom, then starts again on its own. Nothing needs shaking, which is the difference between this and a snow globe, and the movement keeps going for as long as the light is on rather than settling after a minute. The panels are clear enough to read the scene from a few feet away, and the frame hides the working parts.

Five scenes

Santa in a black lantern, a Christmas tree in a black lantern and a snowman in a black lantern, plus Santa and the snowman in red telephone booths. The telephone booth versions are the same scenes in a different frame, and they are the two most people choose when the rest of the room is already red. The frames look good switched off as well.

Light, glitter and music

The light is warm rather than white, which suits the painted figures and keeps the scene readable instead of washing it out. The music is a short loop rather than a long track. Worth knowing before you put one in a bedroom, and worth knowing that all three effects start at the same touch rather than separately. It is a decoration first and a light second, which is worth remembering when you choose where it goes.

Sitting it somewhere

Small enough for a window sill, a desk or a shelf between books. Because it makes its own light it works in the corner that never gets any daylight, which is usually the corner that needs something in it. Two on the same shelf at different heights work better than one on its own in the middle.

Specifications

Type	Miniature lantern decoration
Scenes	Five designs
Operation	One touch switch
Size	Mug height, sits on any flat surface

Where it goes

1. On a window sill

   Catches the early dark and glows against it.

2. On a bookshelf

   Small enough to sit between books without being a nuisance.

3. In a hallway

   Something to look at on the way past.

4. Away from bedrooms

   The music loops, so think about the room before you choose its spot.

In the box

• 1 x miniature lantern in the scene you choose

Care

Wipe the panels with a dry cloth rather than a wet one, since water leaves marks on the inside. Keep it upright when you move it so the glitter stays where it belongs. Bring it in from a cold porch before switching it on, which is kinder to the paint.

Common questions