DC Temple of Lights in Kensington

I remember as a kid, being mesmerized by this magical building towering out of the trees all lit up with an angel on top and thinking, "How do you get in there?" and "It looks like the castle at Disney World". To this day, I can still appreciate the beauty of the architecture and when we moved to the area, it was one of the first things I was excited to show my daughter.

Prior to this holiday season, I had no idea that it had a light display during the holidays (you can't see it from the highway). As I searched for holiday things to do, I found out that not only did they have all the lights in the trees, but also a Visitors Center that displayed several decorated Christmas trees, a life-sized nativity scene outside, a room full of nativity sets from around the world, and a different free concert every night throughout the season. I couldn't wait to check it out and, I must say, it's even more beautiful up close.

We went in the middle of the week because I expected that the weekends would be much more crowded. As I suspected, there were not too many people there and we were able to go through at our leisure and have good seats for the concert. Outside, the trees are completely lit up in all different colors, making it look like something out of a fairy tale and the Nativity scene was complete with camels and a donkey. Inside the Visitors Center, the Christmas trees were all decorated differently, one with dolls from around the world, one with flags from around the world, and others just brightly decorated with beautiful ornaments. The nativity scenes ranged from primitively carved wood to elaborately formed glass and crystal pieces in all different sizes and were from just about any country you could name off the top of your head. There are 2 concerts nightly, one at 7pm and one at 8pm. They are free but you need a ticket to get in. Tickets are handed out 90 minutes prior to the show.

The Visitors Center also attempts to show you what the Mormon religion is all about. There are areas with videos and members (some missionaries from other countries) may take a  few moments of your time to speak with you (completely optional, no pressure) and/or answer any questions you might have about the Mormons. I must say that they are very friendly and not pushy and overbearing, they are not trying to convert you in an hour so don't let this be a deterrent to you visiting and seeing the beautiful display.  If you don't go anywhere else this season, I highly recommend you go to see the Mormon Temple in Kensington, MD.

Kid's View: "I liked it a lot and I thought all the lights were really cool. The nativity sets were neat and I liked looking at them. The Christmas trees with the dolls and the flags from different countries were my favorite trees. The concert was okay. Some of the songs I knew but a lot of them I didn't."