Why Is Prescott Called Arizona's "Christmas City"?

If you've ever stood on the Courthouse Plaza in December with the lights glowing overhead, you already have a feel for this one. Prescott is called Arizona's Christmas City because of a holiday tradition that goes back more than a century, centered on the plaza in the middle of town. According to the Sharlot Hall Museum's Days Past archive, the first Christmas tree on the Courthouse Plaza went up in 1916, Governor Paul Fannin named Prescott Arizona's official "Christmas Town" in 1962, and Governor Rose Mofford designated it "Arizona's Christmas City" in 1989.

Let's walk through how a frontier town's first Christmas tree grew into one of the state's best-loved holiday traditions.

Prescott's Christmas story starts almost as early as Prescott does. The town became the capital of Arizona Territory in 1864, and those first holidays were simple ones.

A year later, things began to change. According to Arizona Highways, a Christmas tree didn't appear until 1865, when Margaret McCormick, the wife of acting Governor Richard McCormick, brought one into the governor's house. The Days Past archive adds that she proposed and helped with that first tree, set up in the front room of the governor's house. Sharlot Hall, who arrived in Prescott in 1884, later wrote about that frontier Christmas. Here's more on who Sharlot Hall was, and on when Prescott was the capital of Arizona.

Here's the part most people don't hear. The courthouse you see on the plaza today was still being built when Prescott's big tradition began. According to the Days Past archive, the first Christmas tree on the Courthouse Plaza was decorated in 1916, while the current courthouse was going up. Choirs sang, and gifts were given to the children.

Arizona Highways describes about a hundred people gathering for that first tree lighting, and notes that, as far as anyone knew, there had never been an outdoor municipal tree lighting anywhere in the state before it. The next year, 500 people, including Santa himself, gathered on the plaza for the tree lighting.

Over the decades, the plaza celebration kept growing. Here are a few milestones from the Days Past archive and Arizona Highways:

One small note for the history lovers: two Days Past articles give slightly different years for when the courthouse was first lit, 1954 and 1955. Either way, it was the mid-1950s, and the lights have been part of the plaza ever since.

Today the courthouse lighting is the heart of the season. Arizona Highways describes more than a million lights radiating from dozens of trees on Courthouse Square. In the 1990s, a downtown light parade joined the lineup, with a bonfire added some years later.

The Sharlot Hall Museum's Frontier Christmas began as an evening following the courthouse lighting ceremony, with recreations of the 1865 Christmas in the Governor's Mansion that Sharlot Hall wrote about. It's a lovely way to see where the whole story began.

The Prescott Chamber of Commerce lists the Arizona's Christmas City events on its site and notes they are free for everyone to enjoy. Dates change from year to year, so check the Chamber's calendar for this season's schedule. If you're planning a day downtown, here's what there is to do around Whiskey Row and the Courthouse Plaza.

What we love about this story is that it was never a marketing idea. It started with one tree in a frontier governor's house and one tree on an unfinished courthouse square, and the community kept showing up year after year. That's a big part of why people call Prescott Everybody's Hometown. Around Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, and Dewey-Humboldt, plenty of families make the drive to the plaza part of their own December.

A lot of people we meet first fell for the Quad Cities on a visit just like this one. If you're thinking about a move, it helps to see the area in more than one season, and December on the plaza is a good one to put on the list. We're glad to help you build a timeline for your visits, so you can explore Prescott and Prescott Valley without feeling rushed. Here's what to know before you relocate to Prescott.

When did Prescott become Arizona's Christmas City?
Governor Rose Mofford designated Prescott "Arizona's Christmas City" in 1989, according to the Sharlot Hall Museum's Days Past archive. Governor Paul Fannin had declared it Arizona's official "Christmas Town" in 1962.

When was the first Christmas tree on the Prescott Courthouse Plaza?
In 1916, while the current Yavapai County Courthouse was being built. Arizona Highways says about a hundred people gathered for that first tree lighting.

Who put up Prescott's first Christmas tree?
Margaret McCormick, wife of acting Governor Richard McCormick, in 1865, in the governor's house. Sharlot Hall later wrote about that Christmas.

When did the Prescott courthouse lighting start?
In the mid-1950s. Days Past articles give 1954 and 1955 as the first year the courthouse was lit.

What is Frontier Christmas at the Sharlot Hall Museum?
A holiday event the museum began in 1996, featuring recreations of the 1865 Christmas in the Governor's Mansion. Check the museum for this year's dates. Here's what you can see at the Sharlot Hall Museum.

Love a good local story? The Weekender is our free email with the best events in the Quad Cities, every Thursday, from holiday traditions to community events. It's an easy way to never miss the courthouse lighting.