A Carefree Christmas

While most of our holidays are spent with family back east, we had the opportunity for a special treat before departing. The town of Carefree, AZ puts on a delightful Christmas festival, complete with a light parade and SNOW. After wandering through craft and food vendors, we picked the perfect spot for watching the parade of community floats. We were all set with our homemade cider, camp chairs, and blankets. We had to laugh at ourselves, all "bundled up" for the near 60-degree temperatures! (Back east, we were used to many more layers and much more shivering for such an event!) That being said, it wasn't hard to find the snow play area, complete with a sledding "hill." Some of our favorite floats are included below, including hot air balloon baskets lighting the way!

This float prompted a lot of questions in the audience. It was built by the Eckankar religious community. We were curious, so we looked up more info about them here.

We were grateful for the few moments of warmth... and maybe a little nervous about the flame's proximity!

Last, but not least, Santa!

One of our favorite things about Carefree, is that it is still relatively... free. Neighborhoods are still full of desert vegetation and wildlife (contrasted with the suburban sprawl of other parts of the Phoenix valley), and we frequently catch a glimpse of a critter or two when we visit. Today's sighting - a coyote! This guy was just strolling along the side of the road as we pulled into the neighborhood!

We hope you have a truly "carefree," enjoyable holiday season!