Christmas at Mesa Arizona Temple

Residents of the Phoenix area love to decorate for Christmas. Beginning at Thanksgiving, the lights and lawn decorations begin to appear. Local newspapers keep track of and post information on the more significant displays. Readers use this information to locate and visit the colourful displays throughout the area. In past years, we’ve enjoyed sightseeing in our local area. This year we were alerted by friends Rob and Gloria Wagemakers of the display at the Mesa Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in nearby Mesa.

This display is spectacular. The most impressive we have seen yet. The Temple itself is worth seeing but it really stands out at Christmas time. During the month of December, the Temple grounds are open every evening for people to view the lights display and enjoy nightly concerts. The event attracts about one million visitors every year, and features hundreds of thousands of colorful lights, a large nativity display, and holiday dioramas that blanket the garden area of the Temple. Hundreds of volunteers will donate thousands of hours of labor throughout the holiday season to create and maintain the display.

The Temple, viewed from the front entrance. You can see a little of the lights display in the garden to the left.

This picture was taken from the garden and shows the Temple from across a reflecting pool. Lots of lights to see here!

This picture was taken across the same reflecting pool in the direction opposite from the Temple. The lights you see in the upper area of the shot are decorated palm trees. I wonder who volunteered to climb up there!

I had a little fun with this shot. The illuminated section of these lights moves sequentially from top to bottom. I took a number of pictures with the illuminated section in a number of locations throughout the sequence. I chose two of them to combine into this image, showing two sections illuminated at the same time. Think it’s more interesting than the constituent pictures I used.

What would a Christmas lights display without a nativity scene? Here’s the one at the Mesa Arizona Temple’s celebration.

If the Star of Bethlehem looks a little overpowering in this picture, it’s because it is. I suppose it had to be for the Three Wise Men to find their way.

Speaking of the the Three Wise Men, here they are in the garden at the Mesa Arizona Temple. You can see downtown Mesa in the background. I’m pretty certain they didn’t pass through Mesa on their original trip to Bethlehem.

A great display. One that will be difficult for other displays in the Phoenix area to surpass!