That aura of peace and joy that surrounds and permeates Christmas is renewed each year with the lighting of Temple Square.
Uncounted thousands travel from far and near each year to saunter around the Church grounds, feeling, reveling in, absorbing the peace and beauty of the delicately and precisely lighted trees and bushes.
The lights of Temple Square are a visual feast, a delight to the senses that ever so gently soothes the soul.
Thousands, perhaps a million, of tiny lights blend into a blazing mosaic of color, each light standing on its own as a symbol of the True Light that illuminates the world.
"Has any father given a more precious gift to his children than the gift which our Father in Heaven has given to us — His Only Begotten Son?" Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve queried during lighting ceremonies in 1995.
As the Light of the world, "has there ever been a greater or more valuable gift — or one so dearly bought — than the gift of eternal life?" he continued.
"The great anticipation — the hope — of Christmas is Jesus Christ Himself," he said.
Great care and expertise were exercised in lighting the Church complex. Grounds crews began after October general conference, when skies were still a deep blue and temperatures were moderate, carefully winding strings of lights around hundreds of trees and bushes. Luminaria with uniquely chiseled designs were then placed as a final and finishing touch.
Revelers can add to the joy of visiting Temple Square by attending one of the many high school choirs performances that take place in the Church Office Building foyer.
Unique this year is the renovation work being completed on the Tabernacle, requiring sealing off parts of Temple Square. The popular Nativity scene north of the Tabernacle is still visible from the patio area of the North Visitors Center.
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