This year's increased use of LED holiday lights might be a great gift to the environment, but some take a very dim view of the new energy-saving decorations. The Associated Press reports that a number of Americans miss the old-school vibe of gas-guzzling, incandescent Christmas lights.

Gary Barksdale of Norman, Ohio, told the source he misses seeing the traditional big glass bulbs line the streets. That's why he and his son will stick to incandescent holiday lights. "We're doing the same thing my pops, my brothers and I did when we were kids," he said.

More, the plastic LED bulbs - though safer - shatter what he considers part of holiday tradition. "When you're finding shards of purple glass in the summer when you mow the grass, you can remember the fun you had at Christmas," he said.

Ohio resident Steven Walls expressed a similar sentiment as to why LED bulbs don't seem festive. "They're weird-looking. They're sized different and have these unusual ripples."

While they may not look like the lights of Christmas past, the LED bulbs are likely the future of holiday decorations.

John Banta, a project leader for New York-based Consumer Reports, points out that LEDs provide more benefits than just energy savings. "They run cooler, so there's less of a chance of a fire hazard," Banta told the Associated Press.

With the upcoming ban on incandescent bulbs, holiday traditionalists might be well advised to get on board with this new, safer lighting option. According to iSuppli, the global LED market will nearly double to $14.3 billion by 2013.