Russ and I meandered down to Phoenix, AZ, to visit relatives. One of our festive outings was to an outdoor baseball stadium (Salt River Fields) in the suburb of Scottsdale to a walk-through light display, called “Enchant.”

I must admit, I was a bit skeptical about the likelihood of experiencing a magical Christmas experience without snow and the cold, but I came away impressed by the scope and organization of the event.

We entered the gates and spent time wandering through a “village” with food vendors and booths selling Christmas wares. A trip down the stadium stairs took us to the light maze on the field. The maze’s theme is “mischievous.” One of Santa’s elves and his reindeer pal have misplaced toys meant for children on Christmas. The goal is to find all the missing toys in the maze so that children will receive them as presents.

We were delighted by the scenes around every corner in the maze. A gigantic Christmas tree dominates the center, surrounded by huge lighted up presents. There’s even a multi-colored “disco” floor where the light squares change color when stepped upon.

Although it was about 45 degrees out, everyone was dressed like it was twenty below. Many people were walking around with drinks in lighted clear containers that resembled light bulbs. I asked one person what was in the drinks and they said something about vodka and strawberry juice.

The more adventurous in our party signed up to rent skates and try out the ice-skating trail. You need to sign up for a specific time so that the rink doesn’t get too crowded. I haven’t skated in about 7 years, but I was game to give it a try with my sixty-year-old legs. The skates were made of sturdy black plastic and are available in a huge variety of sizes. After signing accident waivers, we snapped on our skates and hit the trail with dozens of other people, many of whom had probably imbibed those light bulb drinks. Vodka and inexperienced skaters – probably not the best combination?

I was intrigued to see how Arizonians skate. You see, in Minnesota, most children learn to skate about the same time that they learn to walk. If their fathers are speedskating coaches like one of my children’s was, they are out on the ice even before they learn how to walk. That son was with us and he had no problem skating. His Arizonian girlfriend was another story, but she gave it a good try.

After a few wobbly steps, my skating instincts returned, and I was good to go. My main worry was avoiding out-of-control skaters. We witnessed many butt thumps on the ice and many people turning in circles when they wanted to skate forward. But everyone seemed to be having fun.

After skating around for about 20 minutes, we emerged unscathed from the trail. We spent more time exploring parts of the light maze we’d missed before. Afterward, we made our way back up the stadium stairs and visited more of the vendors.

There are other activities at Enchant as well. I think there’s a play, and there are various levels of tickets that people can purchase. Enchant is not only in Phoenix. It’s offered at six other cities, including Milwaukee and Las Vegas. The show goes on until December 31, so there’s still time to go if you haven’t already.