I’m deviating from our standard weekly calendar here, listing just a few Christmas related activities, rather than a day-by-day rundown of the entire week. If your to-do list looks anything like mine, I’m predicting that you won’t hold it against me. Enjoy!
- Holiday Lights at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park. Take a train ride through many festive holiday lights and displays turning the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park into a winter wonderland. Opening night festivities include a tree-lighting ceremony, entertainment and a visit from Santa. Santa will be at the park through Dec. 23. Train and carousel rides are $2 each with children younger than 3 riding free with a paying adult. Holiday Lights runs nightly Dec. 9-30, excluding Dec. 24-25, 7301 E. Indian Bend Road.
- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets $45.
- Fountain Hills Holiday Luminarias: Thousands of glowing brown-paper bags line the streets, driveways and yards of Fountain Hill’s parks and residential communities. Drive through the neighborhoods to see some of the individually decorated houses, or park and walk along Fountain Park. Dec 22-24. Free.
- Old Fashioned Cowboy Christmas If you’re up for a drive to a West Phoenix church, you can see a singing Santa cowboy on horseback on Friday, December 23rd at 7 p.m. Free, refreshments served.
- Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden See more than 8,000 hand-lit luminaria bags and 10 musical groups perform nightly through the end of the month. Tickets $25 for non-members.