It is known from local newspaper stories published between 1960 and 1962 that many of Sun City’s earliest residents brought their Christmas decorations along with them when moving to the Valley of the Sun.
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A Sun City Christmas tradition
Tree decorating was a highlight
Posted
SUN CITY HISTORY
The Sun City Independent, in partnership with the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum, will present a series of stories detailing interesting, and sometimes odd, moments in Sun City history.
Most stories will be written by Sun City resident Ben Roloff, a long-time community activist and now museum board member. Mr. Roloff’s sources include information he collected through the years from countless trips to the Arizona State Library, Independent newspapers and their predecessors, including the Daily News-Sun. Mr. Roloff began sharing his stories four years ago in PowerPoint presentations for the Recreation Centers of Sun City Lifelong Learning Club and at the request of other groups and organizations.
Del Webb Sun Cities Museum 10801 W. Oakmont Drive Sun City, AZ
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By Ben Roloff
It is known from local newspaper stories published between 1960 and 1962 that many of Sun City’s earliest residents brought their Christmas decorations along with them when moving to the Valley of the Sun.
Others purchased anew at the local Variety Store. As early as 1962 the Sun City Merchants Association crowed with pleasure the growing number of entries each year for their Annual Christmas tree decorating contest. Resident interest in Christmas lighting likely was sparked by neighborhood darkness, as there were no streetlights from Grand Avenue all the way to Peoria Avenue to light the way for the first 4,000-plus homes built in Sun City during those first seven years.
Each year contest entrants eagerly awaited the week before Christmas when the judging took place and the newspapers announced winners and their prizes. All was good until contest results from 1964 were announced. Secular characters like “Frosty” and “Rudolph” became the decorating rage and were awarded many of the prizes. Religious themed contestants regaled the contest sponsors with claims of unfairness.
In 1965 a major rules change was announced. There would be two categories with prizes awarded for both secular and religious themes separately. That quieted the uproar, but only for three years.
Contest rules had to be changed once more in 1968. Judging was to continue as usual 7-10 days before Christmas. Judges would then spot check winning entries as late as the week after New Year’s to make sure the displays had not been altered after mid-December. Some winners in 1967 in the religious category added their own “Rudolph” or “Grinch,” etc. after the initial judging for reasons we can only guess. Those transgressors precipitated the second change in rules.
After that, the contest continued annually for an undetermined time.
To commemorate those early Christmas displays, the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum officials obtained a 1960 vintage silver tree. It is displayed in the museum’s front window at 10801 Oakmont Drive. At night the tree is spot-lighted and changes colors regularly because of a focused 1960 vintage electric color wheel. Stop by and enjoy the tree.
Come back in the daytime. The museum is a great destination to take out-of-town guests over the holidays. Become a museum member and learn about other popular but long-forgotten contests. The museum has the answers to your history questions.
Museum volunteers know how Sun City got those missing streetlights. They would love to share that interesting answer and many others historical tidbits.
