We visited several neighborhoods in the Phoenix area this holiday season, including our own. At night. To see the lights! We want to share them with you.  This is the neighborhood known as Moon Valley in North Phoenix. The original neighborhood was built in the 60s around the golf course. Mostly one story, ranch style homes. The area has expanded adding newer, bigger homes to the mix. A very nice neighborhood and a fun one to explore at night discovering all the lights. It was probably our favorite ‘hood for lights.

Every holiday season Moon Valley has a holiday lighting contest among the houses. You can recognize the several winners by the signs in the yard, and, of course, the beautifully lighted houses and yards. Enjoy the lights! 

Someone must have used one of those bucket lifts to get the lights strung up so high on this palm tree!

We weren’t sure if the covered bushes were due to a possibility of frost or if they were designed to look like snow. Because they did look like snow.

Some were just desert elegance like this all white ice cycles and spotlights house.

We loved the owl in the Saguaro below. There were more owls but it was hard to catch everything.

In Native and Mexican cultures, it is traditional to put out Luminarias on Christmas Eve to light the way to the Manger. Traditional Luminarias are brown bags filled part way with sand and then a candle inserted into the sand inside the bag. When the candles are lighted, they glow through the bags lining the path. We’ve done these in the past and it’s fun to do, if time-consuming. In modern times the bags are often plastic with electric lights inside as these are. Easier but still very pretty and meaningful.

More palm tree lighting. Each one is unique wherever you go.
This is a lighted Ocotillo. They grow to be quite beautiful but are very delicate and often just fall over at the base. They produce pretty, small red flowers all up and down their branches in the spring.

More high lighting in palm trees. This one has a star suspended between the trees.

The lighted green tree in the next few was spectacular. It was hard to capture that sight. The entire house/yard was rather spectacular.

There were many creative displays and the face on this palm tree was one of the better ones. He (or she) is quite the character.

The desert has been blessed with, what for it is much rain this holiday season. The rain greatly enhanced many of the light displays with reflections in the water.

We have enjoyed cruising Phoenix for holiday lights this year and will have one more, brief holiday lights post to come.