Tradition Lights Up the Arboretum

Every Christmas season we're bombarded with extra: extra shopping, extra emails, louder music, more advertising. I'm exhausted before the holiday even arrives, and I find myself browsing bookstores for guides on creating a simpler holiday-something blessedly quieter.

Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden

8909 W 179th St

913.685.3604

Every Christmas season we're bombarded with extra: extra shopping, extra emails, louder music, more advertising. I'm exhausted before the holiday even arrives, and I find myself browsing bookstores for guides on creating a simpler holiday-something blessedly quieter.

            If that's what you're looking for, make time for the Overland Park Arboretum's Holiday Luminary Walk. Held over two weekends, it's the best way I know to inject a little beauty and simplicity into your holiday.

Now in its tenth year, the Luminary Walk combines the best elements of the season: candlelight, music, and the hush that only a winter's night can provide. More than 1,200 hand-lit luminaries brighten a mile of the garden's meandering trails, leading over waterfalls, through still grasses, and alongside running streams. Like an explorer you'll find delights around every corner-an evergreen strung with lights, a bonfire, a Boy Scout handing out hot cider. Carolers' songs rise in the air. Around the next bend you'll find them grouped under the grape arbor. Listen for a time. Then move on-there are more wonders to discover.

One of the Walk's charms is its versatility. If you have young children, go early in the evening when Santa is available in the lodge for photos and whispered wishes. After 7:00 the gardens are hushed and darker, perfect for adults and older kids who could use a break from their Nintendo.

Live music creates a magical atmosphere as you walk the trails. Most of it is instrumental, including selections from the Windsong Harp Ensemble and the Heartland Bells. In past years musicians have included the Dickens carolers as well as Duane Threa Feather, whose haunting melodies on the Native American flute mesmerize and enthrall. Call for full details of this year's musical schedule.

Co-chair of the event Margaret Kalal says volunteers are vital to the success of the Luminary Walk. Each evening they spend two to three hours placing and lighting each candle. This year, the Arboretum has extended the candlelit trail and added new attractions to the Children's Garden.

After your walk, stroll inside the Arboretum's lodge for more music, cider and cookies by the fireplace. Pause. Take a deep breath. And enjoy the peace of the season.

The Details

The Holiday Luminary Walk is annually at the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden.

Shawnee writer Claire Caterer makes the Holiday Luminary Walk an annual tradition with her teenage daughter, Melanie.