Rootin' Tootin' Christmas
by Kelly Sallaway - LincsMag Writer.
Date: 01 December 2010
Christmas in Arizona
Christmas is usually depicted by stone cottages with evergreen trees all covered with snow. The traditional images include a fireplace with a burning logs, maybe a sleigh or some holly through a frosty window.
That may be the case in some places but in Arizona it looks completely different. We do have some mountains with snow but in the Desert Valley cities it is all bright sunshine and blue skies. Our evergreen is a nicely manicured golf course and we have horses but no sleighs.
Although Christmas originated in a warm Mediterranean climate in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, it is not the iconic look we usually share of the season. Much like this original location, we have Palm Trees instead of evergreens. In Arizona, we have our own take on the Holiday and celebrate it with our own Southwestern flair.
Cowboy Christmas
Hats, chaps and rope decorate our homes and are incorporated into our Christmas décor and decorating themes. Many homes have lights that resemble strings of chili peppers and Christmas wreaths made from straw and bailing twine or barbed wire.
The Holiday craft sales are often Cowboy Christmas fairs. Out here we are treated to tumbleweed Christmas trees and twinkle lights on tall saguaro cactus.
In fact we (carefully) decorate or cactus filled gardens and sprinkle fake snow on our xeriscaped yards.
Mexican Influence
In the Southwest many Christmas traditions are influenced by our Hispanic heritage and closeness to Mexico.
Traditional foods abundant during this time of year are “Christmas” tamales (extra special versions of the everyday food: a corn meal patty with, spicy meat and cheese wrapped and steamed inside a corn husk) , Mexican wedding cookies, posole and menudo (soups).
Mexican markets take advance orders for Holiday foods preparing huge orders of tamales and tortillas for holiday gatherings.
The outside décor on Arizona homes are' luminarios': paper sacks, weighted with sand with candles, lining the driveways of homes and the way into the Christmas fiesta.
Outside Entertaining
Since the weather is beautiful during the Southwestern winter many Holiday parties will be outdoors. The nights are chilly and Christmas calls for an outside firepit or Chimena,(a terra cotta fireplace typical on outdoor patios, with hot cocoa and roasted marshmallows.
White Christmas
We are not necessarily dreaming of a White Christmas in Phoenix.
Most people who live here made the decision to move away from the bitter cold of Northern and Eastern United States. They would rather enjoy their Holiday playing golf than shoveling snow.
If we want some of the advertised Christmas Card worthy weather we can drive up to a higher elevation for the Yule Tide.
Once there we can build a snow man, go sledding, snowboarding or race down a 14,000ft peak snow skiing- until we get too cold!
Then we can come back down into "The Valley of The Sun", hang out at the pool and have...as we say in Arizona, a Feliz Navdid!
