From House To Home

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From a single candle glowing in the window to massive displays that would put Clark Griswold to shame, nothing creates a magical holiday setting at your home more than twinkling lights. Here are a few communities where creative lighting can become an inspiration for your home.

Luminarias in the Land of Enchantment

Celebrating its Mexican heritage, Las Cruces, New Mexico, glows with the warmth of thousands of luminarias in three festive sites around the city. Beginning December 2, the campus of New Mexico State University kicks of the season as students light more than 6,000 luminarias for an evening campus tour. Take a horse-drawn carriage, if you choose not to walk, but certainly bring a camera for pictures with Santa inside the Corbett Center.

Thirteen miles north of Las Cruces is Fort Selden, which also glows in the holiday spirit with more luminarias on December 15. Candle-lit trails and ruins offer a unique holiday outing. Stay for complimentary hot chocolate and cookies.

But Christmas Eve on Mesilla Plaza is perhaps the most tranquil of holiday lighting tours as more than 7,000 luminarias light the historic district and the community joins in together singing Christmas carols led by the choir at San Albino Church.

Learn more about the holidays in the Land of Enchantment at www.lascrucescvb.org.

Zoolights Highlight Tacoma

For the past 20 years, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington, has been a focal point of holiday activities as more than 500,000 holiday lights illuminate paths and create 100 magical animal figures ranging from dinosaurs to elephants. There are approximately 50 miles of lights and 7 miles of extension cords used here. Imagine keeping that mess untangled.

The weather is usually mild, but often misting rain in the Pacific Northwest in December, so bring an umbrella on your walking tour of the zoo. But the gentle rains contribute to the special fairyland appeal of the lights, and the animals, too, respond knowing that something special is in the air this time of year as well.

Visit with the animals at www.pdza.org.

Coastal Magic

The holidays in Wilmington, North Carolina, transform a garden, dress up a battleship, and make a beach front magical.

The ancient southern landscape of Airlie Gardens dances with magical illuminations every Thursday through Saturday evening beginning November 23. There is an admission, and you should purchase tickets in advance. You’ll enjoy live entertainment, refreshments, and the opportunity to purchase handmade holiday gifts from vendors under beautifully decorated tents.

November 23 is also the night of the Island of Lights Festival on Pleasure Island. The Lake will be lit nightly through January 1, so you can enjoy a 1-mile walk around Carolina Beach Lake with lighted displays and luminaries. Make plans to come back for the fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

Battleship North Carolina, dressed up in its holiday finery, illuminates the historic downtown along Water Street with lights strung from the bow up to the masts and down to the stern.

See it for yourself at www.gocapefearcoast.com.