Temple Square lights a Christmas tradition for the past 44 years

For Jeremy and Trudy Smith, a visit to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights has been a family tradition for 12 years, ever since their first daughter was born.

Thursday night, they made the annual pilgrimage, this time with five daughters bundled tightly against the weather.

"It was a lot colder last year," Jeremy Smith said, "and the lights are pretty."

Thousands have braved the cold every winter for the past 44 years to be dazzled by hundreds of thousands of decorative lights at Temple Square, and Deseret News photographers have been there.

Photo researcher Ron Fox has gleaned dozens of photos of these displays from the past four decades. The photos can be seen at the newspaper Web site, deseretnews.com.

Lighting Temple Square was the brainchild of former Deseret News publisher E. Earl Hawkes, who envisioned a Christmas display to equal those in eastern cities. In a story in the Nov. 22, 2001, Deseret News reporter Lynn Arave wrote:

"Hawks proposed the lighting ... in the fall of 1965, and was backed by Elder Mark E. Peterson, chairman of the Deseret News, and other board members. He then took his idea to LDS Church President David O. McKay."

After due consideration, President McKay gave his blessing, and three months later the first lighting display opened with 40,000 lights.

For the first 34 years, a lighting ceremony with speakers and music preceded switching on the lights. In 1986 Edita Hawkes, E. Earl Hawkes' widow, turned on the lights in her husband's memory.

"Nearly as many people were crowded into Temple Square as there were lights," wrote Deseret News staff reporter Lois Collins in 1997. "Before the concert began, long lines of people waited patiently for the Tabernacle doors to open. And spectators lingered to enjoy the sights and sounds long after the speakers and the Mormon Youth Chorus and Symphony had finished their program."

In 2000, the ceremony was eliminated, a victim of its own success. Too many people were attending the event the day after Thanksgiving, creating safety concerns.

"We want visitors to know they can enjoy the lights and seasonal music throughout the holidays, not just on the fist night," said Dale Bills, spokesman for the LDS Church.

Lights have changed over the year. Initially larger bulbs were used, but as mini-lights were introduced, they replaced most of the larger bulbs. In addition, the grounds crew has developed techniques that make each branch stand out on each tree.

"When the lights first went up, they would just throw them on the trees," said Lloy Romrell, grounds supervisor at Temple Square. "We came up with a process to weave them in the trees years ago."

The numbers of lights and visitors have grown dramatically from the 40,000 used in 1965.