More than lights
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MESA, ARIZ.
In its 28th season, the Mesa Arizona Temple Christmas gardens lighting event will be enjoyed by thousands of visitors and most agree that it's more than just Christmas lights.
"It's a place where we can feel the Spirit," said Jose Gonzalez of Mesa, who brought his two daughters, Aurora, 5, and Anabelle, 6, on Nov. 24 — the day after the lights were officially turned on. "We'll come often," he said. "It's a beautiful place to be."
Brian and Karina Hoff, who moved to Mesa from New Mexico earlier this year, brought their two children, Lauryn, 5, and James, 3, to see the lights and the displays.
Brother Hoff said he and his wife were teaching their children more about the birth of the Savior. "Lauryn saw the full-scale Nativity scene and it helps her understand what we're celebrating this season," he said. "It's the perfect setting to tell the story of Jesus."
"It isn't just the lights," said Sister Hoff. "There really is a beautiful spirit."
The event, "Celebrate the Life of Christ in Lights and Music," features hundreds of thousands of sparkling lights, biblical displays and nightly performances by local musical groups on the grounds of the Mesa Arizona Temple. Program Chairman Alayne Favreau said her committee selects groups representing a broad range of sounds, styles and cultures for the free concerts.
"Each year we have tried to expand to include more new talent," Sister Favreau said. This year there are 11 new groups including a Tongan Ward choir, a brass ensemble, family choruses, and performing groups from schools, organizations and other churches.
Members of the Mesa Arizona Maricopa Stake will celebrate the stake's 125th anniversary with a performance on Christmas day.
Inside the visitors center on the temple grounds, sister missionaries offer tours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, and a room is filled with Nativity scenes from around the world in a variety of artistic media.
Elder David Peterson, visitors center director, said the international Nativity exhibit is a popular one during the Christmas season and the Nativity sets are different from previous years.
"Such a display shows the universality of the appreciation of the Savior's birth," he said. "The Nativity of Christ is depicted in every land and the artists' natural settings."
Elder Peterson said the experience brings the Spirit of the Lord and a testimony of Christ to the hearts of those who come. "It is much more than pretty lights," he said.
