• RV Parks & Campgrounds
  • RV Sales
  • RV & Outdoor Gear
  • RV Maintenance & Repair
gs logo
  • Categories
  • Campgrounds, Parks & Places
    Campgrounds, Parks & Places
    Enjoy August at California’s Yosemite Pines RV Resort and Family Lodging
    A row of conestoga wagons illuminated from within
    Candy Hill Campground Thrills Guests in the Heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley
    A hiker raises his arms in triumph on a jagged prompontory.
    Yellowstone Marks Big Anniversary: Discover 150 Ways to Experience This Classic American Vacation Destination
    Water gushes out of the chute of a towering dam.
    RV Travel Tips: Protect Your Home While You’re Away this Summer
  • Subscribe

Sponsored

Holidays in the Desert

author image
Bob Difley
  • Activities & Attractions
  • and Campgrounds, Parks & Places
  • and Comfort at Camp
  • and Community
  • and Destinations
  • and Family:Travel & Camping
  • and RV Life: Travel
  • and Snowbirds
December 22, 2016

    December 22, 2016

    holidays in the desert

    Holidays in the desert will make you forget snowmen and reindeer.

    In the Southwestern United States, RVers visiting during the Holidays will experience special customs, many with cultural links to our south-of-the-border neighbors. These festivities are quite different than the snow and jingle bells experience in the more northern states.

    For instance, visitors shouldn’t miss the lighting of luminarias — sacks about a third full of sand with candles nestled in the middle. They are lit on Christmas Eve and placed along paths to represent “lighting the way.” They can provide a nice entrance to your RV door.

    holidays in the desert

    A belly-friendly custom is the making — and eating — of tamales, usually a group project. They are filled with corn meal, and vegetables, meats or fruit, then wrapped in corn husks and baked. 

    Tumbleweeds Highlight Holidays in the Desert

    As RVers have discovered, it is great fun to capture a tumbleweed scurrying by and transforming the plant into a less-than-traditional “Christmas tree.” This can be decorated with desert discoveries like juniper berries and sprigs of creosote bush (ahh, the aroma), along with shapes cut out of colorful art paper. Bright ribbons and tiny LED lights complete the picture. 

    Considering the differences between the desert and the white Christmases of colder climes, David Fitzsimmons of Arizona Star points out, “Over the dry riverbed and through no woods — and flying over a pothole or two — to grandmother’s hacienda many of us will go, while others will wander off into the desert to find God in a canyon trail.

    “And here in the desert silence, where one can find solitude, many will pause to listen and hear the ancient admonitions in spite of the clatter of commerce: Clothe the naked, forgive the trespasser, feed the hungry and love your enemies, words that sprang from the desert of olives and figs, not the pagan woodlands of fruitcakes and holly, and most assuredly not the cartoon world of dancing snowmen and flying reindeer.”

    Check out the many Southwest RV parks that put you right in the action.

    But wherever in the desert you spend the Holidays, by blending tradition and creativity, you can make your Christmas a memorable one. Happy Holidays to all!

    Wekiva Falls RV Resort: Home for Snowbird Fun Previous
    5 Tips for Planning an Off-Season Camping Trip Next
    Bob Difley

    Bob Difley

    Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

    Most Popular Right Now

    • 10 Tips For Making Your RV Rental Listing Stand Out
    • Catching Bass From the Bank: 8 Practical Pointers for Fishing From Shore
    • 6 Key Tips for Renting Out Your RV
    • 34 New Good Sam Parks Lead the Way to Value and Savings
    • Paws in Your Travels: What to Expect When Seeking Pet Care on the Road

    Parks & Places
    NAMENEWEST

    • Campgrounds, Parks & Places
    July 28, 2022
    A row of conestoga wagons illuminated from within

    Enjoy August at California’s Yosemite Pines RV Resort and Family Lodging

    Good Sam Camping avatar image

    Good Sam Camping

    LOAD MORE

    Subscribe

    Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

    We are Social

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Rss
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram

    Good Sam Club

    Privacy Policy  |   PI Collection Notice  |   Do Not Sell My Info  |   Terms of Use

    © 2021 Good Sam Enterprises, LLC. All Rights Reserved.