Although some places in the state get a real winter, most Arizonans have never known a white Christmas. Leaves didn’t change around Thanksgiving and we didn’t hang stockings by the fireplace with care, because what’s a fireplace? No matter if you stayed or moved away, here are sure signs that you grew up celebrating the holidays in Arizona.
1. Your tamale-craving instinct is in overdrive this time of year.
2. As a child, you hoped and prayed for a white Christmas. And when that didn’t happen, on Christmas afternoon, your family drove to the top of the nearest mountain where you played in the snow.
3. Day of the Dead marked the beginning of the holiday season.
4. You knew of at least one holiday-decorated saguaro. You also looked forward to the sad bedazzled bush near Sunset Point and the Tumbleweed Tree.
5. Droves of people from cold climates hunkered down in your home every November and December.
6. You’re tan in your childhood holiday photos.
7. You had flip-flops in red, green, and silver. The silver ones were for dressier holiday soirees; the other two pairs were for everyday December wear.
8. You remember that one time it snowed like it was yesterday, and you still show all your friends the Polaroid your father took as proof.
9. Your snow angels took place on gravel or Astroturf.
10. You spent holiday afternoons in a movie theater, which still had the air conditioner blasting.
11. You’ve been to Prescott to watch Arizona’s Christmas City light the Courthouse Square at least once.
12. Ice skating is not in your skillset. Neither is skiing.
13. You leaped, sang, or rode your horse in a Christmas parade…in shorts.
14. Your parents served margaritas instead of eggnog with holiday dinners. 
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