BEST CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: MOON VALLEY TWELVE HOMES OF CHRISTMAS
The holidays are a magical time in Moon Valley! Moon Valley, located in North Phoenix is accessible from either 7th Street or Thunderbird as well as along Coral Gables. Moon Valley is known to have the best Christmas lights in Phoenix during the Holiday season as it hosts one of the biggest concentrations of holiday light displays, the “Twelve Homes of Christmas” and the Luminaries Festival, which occurs on Christmas Eve.
Moon Valley "Twelve Homes of Christmas" Tradition - Best Christmas Lights Phoenix
One of the longest-running traditions in Moon Valley is the Neighborhood Association’s “Twelve Homes of Christmas” contest. Every year, homeowners around Moon Valley bring joy to their families and neighbors by going all-out with holiday light displays and have become one of the top places to see Christmas lights in Phoenix AZ. While the contest is called the “Twelve Homes of Christmas,” there are over 50 homes that receive awards in a variety of categories. You can download the Moon Valley Christmas lights map of 2020’s winning homes here.
There are the original Twelve Homes awards for holiday displays ranging from an assortment of inflatables to an impressive amount of Christmas lights. There is another category for “Spirit Awards” that are given to any home that has won for 4 or more years in a row. The Spirit Awards are some of our family’s favorites! In addition, you’ll find special category awards like “Jingle Bell Rock,” given to the home that does the best job combining their lights display with music, and “White Christmas,” awarded to the home with the most compelling monochromatic display using white lights.
Other specialty awards include “The Night Before Christmas,” “Santa’s Helper,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Griswold,” and “Patriotic” displays. Many other homes are given “Honorable Mention” awards and all of these are included on the Moon Valley Christmas lights map too. While following the map to guide you to the largest
Christmas lights displays, we encourage you to weave your way through and explore the entire neighborhood as there are many homes that participate throughout the community that may not be featured on the map.
Many Friday and Saturday nights, you’ll see families biking through the neighborhood to see the many different light displays. Other families create their own private hayride, with a trailer and bales of straw for seating and plenty of hot cocoa to keep everyone warm! Generations of Moon Valley residents have enjoyed this holiday tradition and we all appreciate the hard work that homeowners have put in to create these beautiful lights displays!
On Christmas Eve, Moon Valley is even more magical, as the streets are lined with the soft glow of luminaries for the Luminaries Festival. The Moon Valley Neighborhood Association provides all of the supplies for luminaries and each resident assembles and lights theirs at dusk. It’s common for people to drive through the neighborhood with only their parking lights on, with the luminaries lighting their path.
And let’s not forget the famous “Dancing Santas,” which perform throughout the evening on Christmas Eve dancing to traditional and new Holiday favorites. Just be prepared for a bit of traffic! We also like to cast our own votes for our favorites or play games in the car while we wait
If you plan to join in on the fun on Christmas Eve, you can always participate by decorating your own mode of transportation, whether you plan to bike, walk with the kids in tow in a wagon, or bedazzle your car. The more the merrier to celebrate! Whether you plan to drive through Moon Valley on Christmas Eve, or any night during the holiday season, I hope it brings joy and happiness to you and your family!
