Our Greeting Card to the World

THE HUSTLE AND RUSH OF In THE HOLIDAYS Wilderness Lies the IS AGAIN UPON US. THERE True Meaning of the Season IS MUCH

to be done: presents to buy, ornaments to be unpacked, food to be cooked - the list goes on. Sometimes we get so caught up in these preparations that we forget Christmas is a time of love and joy and peace.

In Arizona we have a wonderful remedy for this problem. We simply step away from the holiday bustle and head for the serenity of the outdoors.

For wherever you live in Arizona, you are close to the wild pristine places, joyful places, places where the true meaning of the Christmas season easily falls into context.

There is a serene calm in the scenic wilds of Arizona. Some liken it to a closeness to God. Others say, simply, that it's a place individuals can go to get in touch with themselves.

But few can deny something wonderful engulfs us when we go into the wild, something we miss, something we yearn for after we experience it.

The Arizona wild takes many forms. It can be a mountaintop or a mountain range, a volcanic cone or sweeping red rock hills, massive green forests of fir and pine or stands of cottonwoods and sycamores along a canyon creek, rolling grasslands or sweeping meadows filled with elk and wild turkeys, a dry lake bed or a saguaro-studded low desert, an area filled with sand dunes or mountain valleys fed by waterfalls. It is all these things and more.

Each year the December issue of Arizona Highways is planned as our holiday greeting card to the world. It is our hope that this portfolio of Arizona's great scenic beauty will not only give you a respite from the holiday rush, but also will let you share with us the peace, joy, and serenity of the season.

A PORTFOLIO

Sunset Crater San Francisco Peaks A PORTFOLIO

Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness A PORTFOLIO

Lake Powell Monument Valley A PORTFOLIO

Grand Canyon - Moran Point Grand Canyon - Osiris Temple Aravaipa Canyon A PORTFOLIO

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Superstition Wilderness Maricopa Mountains A PORTFOLIO