An Arizona Christmas
Did you ever wonder how an Arizona Christmas differs from one in Ohio? Let’s start with the obvious. In the Arizona desert there is no snow. I have to admit, after spending the first two decades of my life in New Jersey, Christmas in the desert took some getting use to. I remember the first time I saw the streets decorated for the holidays; the sun glistened from the garland making them as bright as when they were lit at night. Shopping in my shirtsleeves did seem rather strange too. No kids sledding down hills, no snowball fights; I must admit, I did miss that a bit. I also recalled that a freshly fallen snow makes a pretty picture until you find yourself walking to the store because you can’t get the car out of the driveway or after the snowplow comes and you have to shovel away what’s left. OK, I’m hooked; no snow is a good choice. Still, if there is any time of the year I wish that I could have that all back it’s Christmas.
It does snow in many parts of our state. Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon and Prescott are a few spots that spend much of the winter similar to what it’s like in Ohio. One fun trip is to go up to the snow country and get a Christmas tree. If your family is lucky, you will be able to buy a permit that allows you to go to a specified area in the forest and cut a tree. And some of the finest skiing areas in the country are in northern part of our state. Occasionally we will even have a light dusting of snow just north of the Phoenix metro area. It doesn’t last long, but it is a beautiful sight to see. Snow-covered cactus grace the albums of many a photographer.
A lot of houses here have their yards decorated; some are very elaborate. Because we don’t have the snow and cold to contend with it is possible to spend hour upon hour stringing thousands of lights all over without once having fingers turning blue or anyone slipping off a roof. You can spot those houses blocks away by the glow above them. This takes a unique type of dedication, but the results are spectacular. I’m impressed, but I don’t think their neighbors are; what with the blinding glow from a front yard that uses more kilowatts than a Las Vegas casino and the noise from the steady stream of traffic passing by, I doubt that anyone gets much rest. Most people are more conservative though, simply opting to string a few lights around a cactus and some icicle lights around the eves of the house. A lit reindeer in the yard and a Santa on the roof will round out the display. It does seem strange that Santa and his sled can stop there without a soft landing on snow; so if the decorators are resourceful, they will spread sheets of cotton around so as not to make Santa look out of place.
Still, there are things that are the same around this time of the year; stores are crowded with shopper, parking lots are full and it takes at least two people to carry in the Sunday newspaper. One thing you’ll have to admit though, it is a lot easier to navigate your way around when people are not wearing heavy coats and snow boots. No matter, if there is a mall, there is a Santa surrounded by his elves and lots of decorations. I doubt that you could tell any difference on the children’s faces or in their hearts. Santa is universal and no one seems to care at that moment if they are in the middle of the desert or if there was a raging blizzard outside.
We have a large tree that is decorated shortly after Thanksgiving and it stays up until New Years Day. It’s artificial since no real tree could possibly last that long in our dry climate. It’s a tradeoff for us, but we enjoy having the tree up longer this way. Nonetheless, tree lots around town still do a bustling business since if you put a live tree up early you’re bound to be back for a second one a few weeks later. Our family usually comes to our house for Christmas dinner. We think about how we are truly blessed with abundance, and to remember those who are not so fortunate. We try to stay focused on why there is a Christmas in the first place and do our best to not substitute some TV jingle for Silent Night. One neat thing for the kids, if Santa blesses them with a bike or a radio-controlled car, they can go right outside and try them out. All in all, by the end of the day everyone is tired, full of Christmas goodies, and ready to call it a day. I guess Christmas isn’t that different between here and where you are after all.
I wish you all the best during this Christmas season and for the coming year and I thank you for taking the time to read what I’ve said this past year about living in the Arizona desert. There should also be a very special blessing for Mike and Linda Koewler for allowing me to do this. Remember this always: there can be peace on earth and good will towards men if we all work at it. Don’t let anyone take that goal away from us or convince you that we need to remove God from public view or take Christ out of Christmas just because a small group insist we do.
