As I have already mentioned, I am a Christmas light fanatic. I love them so much that if I could, I’d leave mine up until spring returned. One of our Christmas countdown activities this year was to go see the Christmas lights at Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
As expected, it was an amazing display of lights. Every branch on the trees was wrapped in Christmas lights. Some things I noticed about this display were the detail put into wrapping the lights, the continuity of the lighting scheme, and the effect of single colors on the display.
The strands of Christmas lights were wrapped meticulously. The wires were evenly spaced around the trunk and branches of the trees and the spacing was the same for the whole tree. There were thousands of lights on each tree. The air was warm under the trees from the Christmas lights. It was spectacular to see the lights on all the trees. To accomplish this spectacular number of lights in a tree, there were circuit breaker boxes and outlets throughout the tree. This makes sense because only about three strings of Christmas lights can be strung end to end safely. (This can vary depending on the length of the strand, and if the strand is an LED strand or not.)
Something else I truly enjoyed about this Christmas display was the continuity of the lighting scheme for each area of Temple Square. It looked like someone had taken colored pencils and colored specific areas of the square. The more I think about it, the more I think that’s probably what happened sometime in October. So, I learned that if I want my display to be spectacular, then I need to plan it as meticulously as possible.
Finally, I learned that there is great beauty in a single color. I have been a fan of multicolored lights, but the forcefulness and brightness a single color in an area is striking. I loved how bright the white, red, and yellow looked. They looked that much brighter because all of the lights around it were the same color. There truly is strength in numbers.
One of the most spectacular displays on the grounds wasn’t the lights. It was the life sized nativity situated between Tabernacle building and the North Visitors’ Center. I felt like I was transported to Bethlehem for the holy night. The details were spectacular for this nativity, and so were the crowds. So, unfortunately my pictures of the nativity are less than ideal.
After visiting the nativity and touring the light display, our family went to the Visitors Center and saw a reproduction of the Christus statue. We also watched a movie about the importance of families in God’s plan for His children. This movie is one of several available for viewing at the Visitors Center.
For the Christmas light fanatic, a visit to Temple Square is worth the time and effort. I would recommend going on a night other than Monday or Saturday, simply because the crowds choose those nights. Of course, topping the night off with some yummy hot chocolate makes it a great family tradition.
