The Season’s Best in the New Phoenix Desert

We were snowbirds in the Phoenix area for three years before we bought a home base at the Viewpoint Golf Resort two years ago. In all that time, we had confined ourselves to festivities at the Resort during this Merry Season—the Christmas Décor competition, the Christmas Train and Golf Cart Parade, the Christmas Bazaar, the Hillbilly Christmas Party, and the New Year’s Eve Glamor Ball. This year, besides these activities plus the usual neighborhood and friend’s private parties, we ventured out to the Phoenix area and found three events of distinction that make the Phoenix desert a special place for the season.

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix

the Frog Dome by night

Every second Tuesday of the month is Community Day at the Garden. That is when the general admission fee of $34.95 is lifted. So, on Dec. 10, we put on our walking shoes and spent six hours on my first visit to the famous Garden that showcases the beautifully unique plants of the hot and dry deserts of the world. There are several trails: the Sonoran Desert, Center for Desert Living, Desert Discovery, Desert Wildflower, and the Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert. There is also a Garden Shop, a Patio Café, and Gertrudes, the Garden Restaurant where we had an early dinner to wait for the sun to set.

the Frog Dome by day

I was thrilled that, when we went, the Wildlife Rising by Cracking Art straight from Milan, Italy was being exhibited. 1,000 animal sculptures made of recyclable plastic—frogs, fish, birds, pandas, rabbits, foxes, and alligators—were on full display. It gave a wonderful burst of colors to the plants in winter. When dusk fell, the annual Las Noches de las Luminarias, the southwest region’s holiday tradition, was also on. The 140-acre garden was lit with 8,000 luminarias that are hand-lit. It was a day I will never forget. And we vowed to go back on one of the Community Days in spring to discover more.

the Tumbleweed Tree

Tumbleweed Tree in Chandler

The Christmas tree has been a hallmark of any holiday celebration. But at Chandler, Arizona, one of the cities around the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, it is uniquely special. Standing over 50 feet tall, the Tumbleweed Tree has been a Chandler tradition since 1957. This ‘holiday tree' begins with 2,000 tumbleweeds assembled into a 35-foot tall wire framed Christmas tree, painted with 25 gallons of paint dusted with 65 pounds of glitter and adorned with thousands of holiday lights that give it a spectacular look, day or night.

We made it a point to see this tree personally and took pictures from all imaginable angles. But we were not able to go to the Tumbleweed Tree Lighting Ceremony. Accompanied by a charming lights parade, it is held on the first Saturday in December to usher in the entire holiday mood. It’s too bad we missed it because of a special event we had to attend. Already a  unique southwestern tradition, the ceremony also features many lively entertainment sideshows and a diverse array of specialty food vendors.

Lights of the World in Phoenix

map of the Lights of the World Spectacle

Would you believe the largest holiday lights show in North America is in Phoenix? It is located in the huge Arizona State Fairgrounds. Over ten million lights and lanterns are put on 65 dazzling displays in several exciting themes—Trek Across Europe, Isles of Oceania, Dinotopia, Christmas Dream, Animal Kingdom, America America, Golden Castle, and Oriental Aromatic. It opens at sundown and we were able to spend all of the four and a half hours until it closed at 10 pm. There were so many photo-ops and food options that kept us busy all night...all for the discounted $14.99 for seniors.

the entrance to the rides

But it is more of a kids’ haven because there are plenty of rides at the Children’s Playground and the full-fledged Carnival. On special nights, there are even Shows like the magician Marrl Lemm’s Show, “The Man Behind The Curtain,” the Puppetone Rockers' Show, or the Acrobatic and Sea Lion.  

Holiday Balloon Glow

There are more such events. We did not have the time to see the Holiday Balloon Glow where more than ten huge hot air balloons are flown over a shopping village complemented by 80 vendors and food trucks. The Phoenix Zoo, on the other hand, sponsors Zoolights with millions of lights in 700 dazzling displays, music and light shows synchronized with 15,000 lights, and wildlife that glow. We have them lined up for next year plus the Tumbleweed Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Phoenix Zoolights

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