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Every town has celebrations and sometimes it takes a newcomer a while to discover them. It was only last year, after living in Phoenix for more than 20 years, was I told about the Christmas lights at the Mormon Temple in Mesa. I went, I photographed, but did not share in LAHP because I was in the midst of publishing more than a dozen issues sharing photos of Maui. So I saved the Christmas photos for this year — assuming that the displays did not change super much each year.

Being a church, they naturally offered a retelling of the Christmas story. I assume everyone knows the story even if you hold to a different religious belief. Depicted here is Joseph leading a donkey carrying Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus, on their way to Bethlehem to be counted in the census ordered by the Romans.

After they arrived in Bethlehem, a bright star began to shine above the town to mark the location of the Christ child.

Here is displayed a striking nativity scene in the traditional stable with baby Jesus in a manger, surrounded by barnyard animals plus the three wise men.

Meanwhile, shepherds were in their fields watching their flocks by night.