If your definition of the perfect holiday calls for cold and snow, head for the hills and mountains of Arizona. There's no guarantee of snow, even there - unless you count man-made ski- resort snow - but the odds are better up high. And it is assured several of the state's high-altitude communities will be putting on a great show. Prescott snatched the official title of "Arizona's Christmas City" years ago and works hard to keep it. The city kicks off nearly a month of Christmas events starting Thanksgiving weekend.
Williams has the Polar Express. Greer is coming on strong with its young but growing Christmas experience. Flagstaff and Sedona have a critical mass that comes with being good-sized mountain cities with a serious interest in tourism. Mount Lemmon is the local favorite, with its little alpine village high in the pines just 45 minutes away - and with as good a chance for snow of anyplace in Southern Arizona. And Bisbee is only 90 minutes away and always ready for a celebration.
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On the other hand, forget Christmas - Christmas, Ariz., that is. On Google Earth, it looks like there's snow there, but it's just mining tailings. Christmas is a ghost town.
Of course, there is a chance for a white Christmas here - it did happen in 1987.
But the operative word is chance, so today we offer lots of details on what the more typically wintry spots have planned to get you in the holiday spirit.
Dan Sorenson
