A Saguaro Christmas

Christmas Lights and Cactus for this Tucson Family

Tucson is many things, but white on Christmas is not one of them. As a Northwest girl it breaks my heart a little each Christmas to not be enveloped in snow, but Southwest Christmas traditions are growing on me. One of my favorite is decorating saguaros. Saguaros are one of my favorite things about the desert, especially at Christmas. It just doesn’t feel like a desert Christmas to me without a Christmas tree and a lighted saguaro.

It’s exciting when clients also love Christmas saguaros and ask to include them in their holiday photos. The Helfrick family was one such client who wanted Christmas lights on a cactus for their holiday session. Being relatively new to Tucson, they wanted holiday photos with a desert feel to send to their family back home. I obliged with a session at Sabino Canyon, my go-to location for spectacular saguaros and sunsets.

The day was cool and cloudy. I worried I couldn’t capture one of Tucson’s amazing sunsets, but it’s radiance and warmth peaked through the clouds periodically. The periodic bursts of sun were beautifully amplified by the clouds, and created a colorful glow of orange, pink and purple hues across the desert floor. We kept the session short, but captured some wonderful family cuddles and smiles, and had a lovely session with saguaros, Christmas lights and laughs.

Side note: I am often asked how I light my Christmas lights in the middle of the desert and the answer is I don’t. When working with children I keep Christmas lights electricity free for their safety. The Christmas lights in these photos, and many others, are edited in Photoshop. I also use plastic lights so there is no possibility of broken glass, and do not wrap lights around babies. Your children’s safety is my primary concern during photos sessions.

To view more family sessions, view my family gallery HERE