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| Different holiday events for different people | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Michael Grady, Get Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 20, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Many folks find it in the stillness of a Nativity scene. Others get their seasonal joy in the closeness of loved ones. Some catch the spirit hunting colored lights in the nooks of local suburban cul-de-sacs, or in the rhyming epiphany of the Grinch on Mount Crumpet. We can argue over the “right way” to celebrate. Or we can recognize that, with five days left and diversity of local fare, there’s time and room for everyone. Find a celebration that speaks to you, and God Bless Us, Every One. (If that’s what you’re into.) BIG CHRISTMAS If you define “big” as something you could see from space, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a high-wattage wonderland of angel-winged trees, twinkling reflection pools, luminous Nativity creches and hundreds of thousands of lights. “It brings the idea of big displays and the meaning of the Nativity together,” says First Elder David A. Peterson. “It’s illuminating and peaceful and draws us to the true meaning of Christmas.” The bulbs fire up at dusk to a musical backdrop of holiday choirs. Your self-guided tour should include the visitors center, where Nativity scenes from around the world are displayed. It’s beautiful, free and packs ’em in. “We had visitors from Sweden this week, and German tourists.” Peterson says. “People often see the lights and stop, to find out what’s going on.” If the original Nativity had this much candlepower, those three kings wouldn’t have taken so long. Details: 525 E. Main St., Mesa. Free. (480) 964-7164. LITTLE CHRISTMAS “Las Noches de las Luminarias” is by no means tiny — though it may seem so, in the shadow of the fantastical “Zoolights.” But the Desert Botanical Gardens’ 30th annual holiday fete is much lower-wattage and distinctly Southwestern. “We light 7,000 luminaria, so you see the garden by candlelight,” the garden’s John Sallot explains. Patrons walk trails under chilly starlight, discovering desert plants and hidden musicians along the way. “This year we have a little of everything,” Sallot says. Music ranges from flamenco guitarists and American Indian folk groups to more traditional Christmas bell choirs. “We also have food and wine and coffee. And three new fire pits on the trails, if you want to warm yourself.” Details: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Dec. 20-23. Adults $20-25; children $10-12.50. (480) 481-8188 or www.dbg.org. For many, a “little Christmas” means back to the very basics. “We’ll have four donkeys, five goats and a lamb,” Laura Mason says. “And this year, we’ll have a camel. His name is Elvis.” tonight, through Saturday Mason will preside over a live animal Nativity, recalling the first Christmas in all its lowing, musky humility. “They’re my animals. They’re working animals, this is what they do,” she says. The exhibit doubles as a petting zoo, with an open house full of hot cider, tiny Christmas villages and electric trains nearby. But the Nativity, Mason says, is the main event. “It’s a great stepping off point for parents to tell them what Christmas really is.” Like the Temple lights, and the original Nativity, this one is no charge. Details: 4345 E. Carol Ann Lane, Phoenix. Free. (602) 992-4848. GLITZY CHRISTMAS Like your holidays less theological? Then let your form follow function to north Scottsdale Friday night, where the Taliesin West Holiday Night Lights Tour puts Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture under a seasonal glow. “It’s a nice alternative to holiday themes,” says Cher Wood, Taliesin’s event coordinator. The tour covers the Taliesin campus, as well as Wright’s home. “We have cocoa and carols in Mr. Wright’s living room — nothing religious or political — and it’s beautifully lit, with the lights of the desert below.” Details: Fridays, Dec. 21 and 28. $34 for adults; $15 for children. Reservations required. (480) 860-2700. Want to roll through the glitz on an iron horse? The kid-sized trains at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park are trimmed in lights, ready to carry you and your little ones through a labyrinth of festive displays. “The ride travels through a bunch of different holiday themes,” park attendant Laura Anderson says. “We get kids, parents, grandparents, people who’ve seen 'Polar Express,’ and people who’ve been on the (Williams) Polar Express.” At $2 per person, this is cheaper. Details: Through Jan. 5 (excluding Dec. 24, 25 and 31). 7301 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale. (480) 312-2312. REVERENT CHRISTMAS What can be more reverent than song? Carols waft from choir lofts, radios and elevators everywhere. But it’s the rousing “Hallelujah Chorus” of Handel’s “Messiah,” that really rattles the gates of Heaven. You can find out tonight, when the Phoenix Symphony cranks up the chorus — and everything else — at the Mesa Arts Center. “It’s marvelous music,” the Phoenix Symphony’s David Nischwitz says, “and we’re bringing a great presentation.” Handel’s masterpiece has been a holiday standard throughout the symphony’s 60-year history, but they traditionally brought only excerpts and smaller orchestrations to the East Valley. This time? “You’ll hear the complete oratorio. The full orchestra: symphony, symphony chorus, and Michael Christie conducting. It’s one of those concerts we really look forward to working, and the Ikeda Theater is an acoustically resplendent hall.” Details: 7:30 p.m. Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. $21 to $51. (602) 495-1999 or www.phoenixsymphony.org. CHRISTMAS WITH A TWIST Then there’s revelry with a twist. The stuff that doesn’t draw knowing smiles so much as cocked heads and furrowed brows. If you prefer your Santa with a shot of P.T. Barnum, he’s presiding over a carny full of bumper cars, camel rides and barbecued turkey legs down at Firebird International Raceway. Details: 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., tonight through Sunday; (closed Christmas Eve). 20000 S. Maricopa Road, Gila River Indian Community. $15 to $20. (480) 247-9591 or visitsantas.com. If you prefer your theology from a nun — and you prefer your nuns like drill sergeants — “Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold” gives you the Nativity as “CSI: Bethlehem.” Details: 7:30 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Theatre 4301, 4301 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. $38. (480) 994-2787 or www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org. If not, well, there’s always the twist of the grape. Now, drinking, in itself, is no way to celebrate the holidays. But a well-timed beverage can better equip you for them. At Kokopelli Winery’s Wine Down Holiday Weekend, the Chandler bistro stokes your holiday spirit with ... holiday spirits. “We have a free champagne tasting,” server Liz Good says. “We have holiday music. You come in, ask for a sample. We have three different champagnes.” Thirsty souls can seat themselves at a table for lunch or dinner (not included) or belly up to the bar, and Kokopelli isn’t shy about showing their champagne selection so close to New Year’s. But aren’t they afraid of drawing legions of weary shoppers and stressed-out family types bracing for the days ahead? “Oh, yeah. That’s our intent,” she says. Details: 35 W. Boston St., Chandler. Samples are free. (480) 792-6927. Contact Michael Grady by email, or phone (480) 898-6572 |
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