Dec25

Christmas in the Desert

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Shiny, round Christmas tree ornaments are balanced on the tips of pointy desert plants.

I hadn’t planned to share a post on Christmas Day. I don’t usually run posts on Tuesdays, and I had a fun story from my childhood to share on Christmas Eve. I thought I had done all I needed to do.

Photo has a dreamy quality and shows shiny Christmas tree ball ornaments on the pointy end of desert plants. A palm tree and mountains are visible in the background.

Then I took a ride through a small Arizona town in the Sonoran Desert and saw how the locals were decorating for the holiday.

A green and yellow desert plant is surrounded by rocks. Shiny green round Christmas tree ornaments have been placed on the pointy ends of the plant's leaves. The photo is taken from above the plant.

Residents of several homes in the town had decorated desert plants in their front yards by placing brightly colored, shiny, round Christmas tree ornaments on the pointy ends of the plants. The decorations really made the plants look festive, which in turn made the whole yards look festive.

Close up of brightly colored and shiny, round Christmas tree decorations adorning the pointy ends of desert plants. Palm tree is visible in the background.

At least one homeowner decorated the saguaros in the yard.

I love this trio of Saguaro Santas. Since I took this photo, I’ve seen desert dwellers in other towns do this too, and it never fails to amuse me.

Shiny and round red and green Christmas tree ornaments are perched on the pointy ends of desert plants. The photo has a dreamy quality to it.

I hope everyone who reads this post enjoys seeing this approach to holiday decorating in the desert, whether you’ve encountered it before or it’s all brand new.

My favorite of all the decorations was the one put out by Mother Nature.

Closeup of green cactus with white dots. In the middle of the green is a dark red, barrel shaped part of the plant that will blossom into a flower.

I love the little red barrel amidst all that green. As a reader explained to me, the barrel is the fruit from last summer’s bloom. .

Looking down at a desert plant, two bright and shiny round Christmas tree ornaments rest on the points of the plant,. The reflection of the photographer shows in each of the ornaments.

So Merry Christmas, friends and fans! I hope you have a lovely day blessed with peace and joy.

I took all the photos in this post. Note: I had a lot of fun adjusting the settings on some of these photos to make them POP with holiday cheer!

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About Blaize Sun

My name is Blaize Sun. Maybe that's the name my family gave me; maybe it's not. In any case, that's the name I'm using here and now. I've been a rubber tramp for nearly a decade.I like to see places I've never seen before, and I like to visit the places I love again and again. For most of my years on the road, my primary residence was my van. For almost half of the time I was a van dweller, I was going it alone. Now I have a little travel trailer parked in a small RV park in a small desert town. I also have a minivan to travel in. When it gets too hot for me in my desert, I get in my minivan and move up in elevation to find cooler temperatures or I house sit in town in a place with air conditioning I was a work camper in a remote National Forest recreation area on a mountain for four seasons. I was a camp host and parking lot attendant for two seasons and wrote a book about my experiences called Confessions of a Work Camper: Tales from the Woods. During the last two seasons as a work camper on that mountain, I was a clerk in a campground store. I'm also a house and pet sitter, and I pick up odd jobs when I can. I'm primarily a writer, but I also create beautiful little collages; hand make hemp jewelry and warm, colorful winter hats; and use my creative and artistic skills to decorate my life and brighten the lives of others. My goal (for my writing and my life) is to be real. I don't like fake, and I don't want to share fake. I want to share my authentic thoughts and feelings. I want to give others space and permission to share their authentic selves. Sometimes I think the best way to support others is to leave them alone and allow them to be. I am more than just a rubber tramp artist. I'm fat. I'm funny. I'm flawed. I try to be kind. I'm often grouchy. I am awed by the stars in the dark desert night. I hope my writing moves people. If my writing makes someone laugh or cry or feel angry or happy or troubled or comforted, I have done my job. If my writing makes someone think and question and try a little harder, I've done my job. If my writing opens a door for someone, changes a life, I have done my job well. I hope you enjoy my blog posts, my word and pictures, the work I've done to express myself in a way others will understand. I hope you appreciate the time and energy I put into each post. I hope you will click the like button each time you like what you have read. I hope you will share posts with the people in your life. I hope you'll leave a comment and share your authentic self with me and this blog's other readers. Thank you for reading.  A writer without readers is very sad indeed.

12 Responses »

    • Thanks, Auntie M! I don’t always celebrate Christmas, but this year I had a story to share on Christmas Eve and couldn’t resist showing off my Christmas in the desert photos on Christmas Day! I think I’ve finally come to terms with Xmas and enjoying it in my own way. Love to you!

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    • Merry Christmas, Julie! So glad you enjoyed seeing what Christmas in the Desert can look like. I’m also glad you like my blog. Thanks for letting me know. It’s so nice to hear people like what I’m doing.

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    • Thank you so much for this information, Rebecca!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was trying to figure it all out by doing Google searches, and as you can see, could not get the information I needed. I will edit the post to reflect this new knowledge. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

      Reply ↓

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