Oakland California Temple
The Oakland California Temple lighting ceremony takes place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, with a music and dance performance called The Magic of Christmas. This year the show will take place twice, on both November 24th and December 1st, at 6 p.m., with the lighting at 7:15–7:30.
Hamilton New Zealand Temple (Photo by Karen Larsen)
The lights at the temple in Hamilton, New Zealand, help to build bridges within the community, as each night the lights are usually turned on by civic leaders and notable community members. The lights, along with the live nativity pageants and musical concerts that are also put on during the season, serve as a great missionary tool: about half the requests the mission gets each year from people wanting to learn more about the gospel come from visitors who have come to see the lights.
St. George Utah Temple
At the temple in Saint George, you can see the beautiful lights that decorate the grounds, a traditional nativity with accompanying music and dialogue, a collection of smaller nativity scenes from around the world, and Christmas trees decorated by the local members. The tabernacle is also decorated with lights and pioneer decorations, and each evening it is the home of a concert performance.
Copenhagen Denmark Temple
You can see the Christmas lights and the beautiful nativity scene in the garden at the Copenhagen Denmark Temple starting in December.
Mesa Arizona Temple (Photo courtesy of Mesa Temple)
The lights at the Mesa Arizona Temple have been a tradition for over 30 years now, and the display is one of the largest in the country to be run by volunteers. Visitors can see a large nativity and life-size reproductions of Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem; a shepherd and his sheep; and Isaiah, who prophesied of Christ’s birth. Free concerts are also put on each night of December until Christmas. More information is available at mesachristmaslights.com.
Sydney Australia
On November 21, 1992, workers on the grounds of what has become known as Temple Hill illuminated 12,000 Christmas lights. Now the display, which is put on by the Church headquarters adjacent to the temple rather than the temple itself, contains 140,000 lights.
Los Angeles California Temple (Photo courtesy of LA Temple)
With 56 stakes involved, 900 volunteers, and 13,810 volunteer hours, putting up the lights at the Los Angeles California Temple—340,000 in total—is quite an adventure. The lighting ceremony this year will take place on November 28th at 7:00 p.m. and will involve many local dignitaries.
Manila Philippines Temple
The Manila Philippines Temple glitters each year with 360,000 lights in gold, green, red, and blue, and the beautiful display has helped increase the prominence of the Church in the Philippines. More than 10,000 people attend the lighting ceremony each year, and for a short time during the Christmas season, there are also musical programs in the evenings.
Washington D.C. Temple
The Washington D.C. Temple dresses its grounds in more than 500,000 lights each Christmas season. They also have musical concerts each evening, an international exhibit of over 100 crèches, and a life size outdoor nativity scene. You can learn more at their website: dctemplelights.lds.org.
Accra Ghana Temple (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)
Each year members in Ghana gather to light up the temple and hold a Christmas devotional, which features both European Christmas carols and traditional Ghanaian music.
Mexico City Mexico Temple
The grounds of the Mexico City Temple come aglow each year with primarily soft blue lights that blanket the area in a peaceful feeling.