Season of sparkle: How Christmas lights came to Temple Square

In the fall of 1965, the idea of Christmas lights on the trees at Temple Square was new and worrisome.

In a meeting with LDS Church President David O. McKay, Irvin T. Nelson, the head gardener at Temple Square, expressed concern that heat from lights might cause trees to come out of dormancy early with premature buds. Another man, arborist J. Leland Behunin, believed it could be done without harming the trees.

After some discussion, President McKay finally decided to allow the Christmas lights and said Behunin would oversee the project.

"My dad had never lit a tree in his life, but said yes, he could do that," said Benjamin Behunin, his son.

More than six weeks later, nearly 15,000 people gathered on Thursday, Dec. 9, at 7:45 p.m., to see 40,000 Christmas lights turned on for the first "Lighting of Temple Square." The Deseret News reported how "a mighty aah" of appreciation went up from the crowd as the lights went on, followed by a burst of applause. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang Christmas hymns and the crowd walked around in awe of so many tiny twinkling bulbs.

The trees survived the heat blast. Interestingly, lights can cause stress to a tree. Going from warm to cold repeatedly and abruptly can cause the tree's cell structures to tear, but the lights can also help prevent tree disease and bugs over winter. Behunin and his son continued to wrap the trees with strands of lights until 1982, when the church took over the massive task.

Almost a half-century after lights first lit up Temple Square, the lights, Nativity scenes and other festive events have continued to attract millions of visitors. Each August, hundreds of church employees start placing holiday decorations and blanketing Temple Square in thousands of strands of LED lights, cables and extension cords in preparation for the annual lighting ceremony the day after Thanksgiving. Countless family traditions, memories and marriage proposals might have been altered had it not been for Behunin's initial efforts.

"We have seen the process evolve for the better. They have it down to a science. The lights bring a huge amount of publicity to the church because members and non-members enjoy walking these sacred grounds," Behunin said. "It's very satisfying to say our family started the tradition."

President McKay presided over The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' European mission from 1923 to 1925. Leland Behunin was one of his missionaries. After his mission, Behunin studied for four years at the Davey Institute of Tree Surgery in Kent, Ohio, specializing in arbor care. He spent an additional four years there working to pay off his education. In 1943, he established Behunin Horticulture and began nurturing trees and landscapes along the Wasatch Front, including Temple Square.