Temple Square Lights, Utah
by Nancy Aingworth
Now, I found myself tagging along for an evening of light-display-viewing in Salt Lake City, Utah with my daughter, son-in-law, and three adorable granddaughters (are there any other kind?), ages 4, 2 and 1. So what's the best place to look at Christmas lights in Utah? I'm sure you'd get lots of different answers if you took a survey, but I have to tell you – the lights around Temple Square in Salt Lake City are absolutely jaw-droppingly gorgeous! I have never in all my life seen anything like it! I'm sure you've seen buildings outlined with lights. (I always enjoyed the Plaza lights in Kansas City, Missouri for that reason.) But these folks do something different. From a block away, the trees looked like something out of a kid's fairy tale book – totally unreal. What could make them glow with solid color like that? As we got closer, we realized that literally every branch of every tree was wrapped with tiny Christmas lights! We all decided we would not want the job of either wrapping or unwrapping all those lights! It was so dazzlingly bright close up, I really wished I'd had my sunglasses with me. Besides the trees, they lit up the Temple and the Tabernacle, two fountains, several walkways, a huge nativity display (with narration and music), and a smaller display of animal statues. It was tough to keep the kids on the visitors' side of the fence, as they really wanted to hug the lifelike critters. But it made a great photo op anyway, with the animals and lights in the background. The fountain was great for that, too. Could anything have made the evening more perfect? Well, I have to admit, I wouldn't mind if someone had turned up the thermostat a few degrees. My son-in-law commented cheerfully, "I've never been here when it's been this warm!" Meanwhile, my teeth were chattering and my sneaker-clad feet had turned to blocks of ice. (At least there was no snow on the ground.) Note to visitors: Do NOT move to Utah as winter approaches, without buying really warm boots right away! While you're waiting for your family chauffeur to find a place to park around the Temple Square, you might be fortunate enough to spend time petting one of the lovely horses that pull carriages around the area. The one-year-old happily sat in her stroller gazing at the massive Belgian horse while I got permission to pet the noble steed. Always a horse lover, I thought it was the perfect way to start our evening. So what if my feet were cold? I got to pet a beautiful horse and gaze at the most amazing Christmas lights I've ever seen. It had to be one of the most memorable holiday events of my life. |
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