Temple Square ready to light up for the holidays

After four months of wrapping cords and other setup work by 58 full- and part-time people — plus some volunteers — the annual Temple Square holiday lighting display will light up downtown Friday at about dusk.

With hundreds of thousands of lights, this is one of the premier Christmas lighting displays in the nation.

While there's nothing new being added to this year's LDS Church campus displays, there is one significant change. The centerpiece of a nativity scene that used to be off to the side of the reflecting pool on the east side of the Salt Lake Temple, now sits atop the water.

"It puts the focus where it needs to be," said Eldon Cannon, group manager of ground services for Temple Square and the surrounding church campus.

The Christ child, Mary and Joseph figures all sit on top of the water in the reflecting pool. There will be the usual floating luminarias in the pool this year too. The nativity is supported by a special base under the water

The change also means there is a 360-degree view of the figures vs. the previously limited one.

Cannon's not certain exactly how many total lights there are on and around Temple Square, he just says "a lot." However, he pointed to one of the mature trees and said it has about 1,500 strands of light on it, with 50 lights a piece. That totals 75,000 lights for a single tree.

Another tree had 14 thick electrical cables snaking up the tree to provide all the necessary power.

"We try not to go too far overboard," he said in terms of size and quantity. "The message we try to share is the message of Christ."

He said Temple Square's holiday lights have international appeal and it is amazing how many foreign languages you can hear being spoken each evening the lights are on.

Regarding going "green," Cannon said the church has been testing LED holiday lights for about three years, looking for best longevity, glow and color to use. "We've been looking for the best color. ... Next year will probably be all LEDs," he said, explaining there are relatively few of them in place now.

He's excited about the use of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) because they have the potential to cut electrical lighting costs by almost 90 percent.

Temple Square's Cedar of Lebanon tree, near the southeast corner, won't be lit this year. Cannon said that is an every-other-year occurrence to let the tree remain healthy.