Arizona 2012: Chili Pepper Lights

As my mom and I drove up to Phoenix today for some last minute shopping with my sister, I found myself singing along to all the Christmas songs on the radio - some silly, some nostalgic, most obnoxiously familiar. As I did, I realized very few of them described the Christmas I knew as a child growing up in Coolidge, a medium-to-small sized town in the middle of the Arizona desert.






The closest thing we had to snow was the fluffy white cotton bits that get scattered along the side of the road after the final harvest. Often times it was cactus and palm trees wrapped with bright lights instead of bare trees and evergreens. Bundling up meant a jacket in the morning that could be easily discarded in the 65 degree sunny afternoons. Tamales, not turkey, was the more common Christmas dinner.

Yesterday evening, as the sun began to set, I drove around town past the water tower (most likely the tallest thing for miles) and up to the fence of our "claim to fame" - the 500 year old Native American dwelling, Casa Grande Ruins (probably the second tallest thing.) I was looking for Christmas lights, but didn't find much. When I got back home, my parent's tenants had turned on their mix 'n match light display and I was grateful for the festive attempt.

When my parents downsized and moved into one of their rental properties, one of the things that got lost in the move was the box with the Christmas lights, all except for the chili pepper lights, that is. Where would we be without chili pepper lights! My brother sent my parents a mini pine tree this year. Not being big on decorating (that was always my thing) they decided to fore go a large tree and just used the small one. It works for them.

Tomorrow is Christmas. The presents are wrapped and the stockings are hung - well at least, draped over the cedar chest. I have been Santa's "helper" for as long as I can remember and since my parents have both already gone to bed, I can finish stuffing the stockings with a couple of dollar store finds, nuts, a few chocolates and a mandarin orange in the toe.  A movie on Christmas Day has been a Barnett tradition for years (see previous post regarding my Dad's movie addiction...)We are heading out in the morning to catch a matinee - Les Miserables. Nothing like a bit of musical misery to make one grateful.

Merry Christmas!