Christmas…..Arizona Style
Each region has their own way of celebrating Christmas. Of course Christmas lights seem just about universal and they are one of my favorite parts of decorating for Christmas.
Some of you may feel that it is not Christmas without snow, but growing up in Southern California near the coast – the only white Christmas that I have seen is watching Christmas movies on television.
Californians have their own way of celebrating Christmas, including a parade of boats decorated with lights and decorations. One of my fondest memories is sitting on the breakwater and watching the boats parade along the coast.
Well, now that I have lived in Arizona for quite a while, I have become quite familiar with the unique way that desert dwellers decorate for Christmas.
The Christmas tree for our town is not actually a real tree…..
It is actually made up of tumbleweed.
Hard to believe, isn’t it?
But, it is just beautiful, especially when it is all lit up at night.
Some residents love their cactus and it plays a starring role in how they decorate the outside of their homes.
Agave also play a part in holiday decorations….
I’ve even seen some agave with round, glass Christmas tree ornaments stuck on their pointy tips.
Did you know that Ocotillo can also stand-in as a Christmas tree?
I hope you have enjoyed these glimpses into Christmas….Arizona Style.
Even though we may not enjoy a white Christmas in our beautiful desert, I like to think of the fact that the first Christmas occurred in a desert not that much different then ours…
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I WISH FOR YOU ALL
A
VERY
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
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Cookies and Sugar Cone Christmas Trees
Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
That is hard to believe that the tree is made up of tumbleweeds. Now that is clever and fun. So is the Santa hats. LOL! It is fun to see how others make do with what they have in their gardens to decorate. Thanks for sharing. I have enjoyed your postings so much Noelle.
Have a wonderful and Blessed Christmas with your family!
One of the things I have really enjoyed this season is reading all the blogs throughout the world and how they celebrate this holiday. have a wonderful christmas and best wishes to you and your family.
Oh, my. A Christmas tree made of tumbleweed! Wow! We see those giant cacti decorated here for different holidays as well. Ouch is all I have to say.
Merry Christmas to you and your family! (I'm hoping to get a December MGB cut today or tomorrow. I haven't forgotten…just really busy.)
Love these alternative Christmas trees, Noelle!
Creativity always sparks my interest.
And the desert is on my mind. Hoping for a trip, however brief.
Love and all best for the holidays,
Alice
Thank you for your ideas and inspirations this year for my own gardens. Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season!!
Great post of all the ways plants decorated in Phx. Too bad your tumbleweed Xmas tree outdoes our tumbleweed snowman – darn!
Used to light our 2 mesquites, but now that reqs a ladder…1 of them has big spines on it, and also reqs a helmet and goggles. So, no more!
I like the tumbleweed tree.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.
Evelyn
It's fun to see how people decorate in other places. I love the santa hats on the cactus! That last picture is just gorgeous. I'm hoping your giveaway is a trip to Arizona with a guided tour by you… 🙂
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
What a unique Christmas tree! All the desert decorations are fun to see. Merry Xmas to you, Noelle!
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2011.
Wishing you and all your family a Merry Christmas!
Noelle
I hope that you and your family have had a wonderful Christmas together. Thankyou so much for all the visits you've made to my blog in the past year.
I admired that tumbleweed tree last year and those santa hats on the cacti made me laugh. Such creativity is needed with a desert garden at Christmas.
Have a Happy New Year.
Hi Noelle, I really enjoyed this post, seeing such an original and creative and aesthetic style of Christmas decorations. Here in the old colony we still use lots of cotton wool for pretend snow! Happy new year, look forward to a bloggy 2011. cheers, catmint
Love the tumbleweed tree–how creative! You're right that the first Christmas didn't have any snow, so the Arizona version is much more authentic. I hope that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas together, Noelle.
Hi Noelle, Great photos. No snow here either. Just rain. Blessed holidays to you.
That cactus with the santa hats is great. Thanks for the glimpses. Happy holidays.
Merry Christmas Noelle, i dont know what tumbleweeds are, but it sure makes a very beautiful Christmas tree. I am also grateful for your blogposts and your comments to mine. A Blessed New Year for you and your family.
That tumbleweed christmas tree is very beauiful. What a creative use for a tumbleweed.
I hope you had a very merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you and your lovely family, Noelle. Joyeux Noël. 😉
Thanks for the insight on how you decorate for Christmas there in the desert. Very interesting!