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CHRISTMAS IN THE SUN

© Lain Ehmann

Yes, it's only April... but if your family is like ours, it's not too early to be figuring out where you're going to be spending the holidays this year. And if your family is like ours, you'd be happy to escape the snow and cold weather blanketing most of the country, and instead head for warmer climes.

Even if you can't spend your entire holiday season in paradise, let me suggest a few days in Paradise -- or Paradise Valley, that is, just next to Scottsdale, Arizona.

Arriving right before Christmas, we were able to find bargain rates of under $100 a night at the lush Doubletree La Posada in Scottsdale(http://www.doubletreelaposada.com/), where we were greeted with the Doubletree's famous warm chocolate chip cookies.

The rooms were large and comfortable, with enough room for the four of us to spread out comfortably. One bummer -- the kids' Vacation Club that was advertised in brochures in the room was not active, so my two were disappointed to find they didn't get their "special souvenir" (wonder what that was -- another cookie?).

The property was nearly deserted, with the huge Zillion Galloon Lagoon all for us. The weather was warm (upper 60's) -- compared to other parts of the country! -- but we still spent most of the time in the hot tub.

We took treks to gorgeous nearby Camelback Mountain (see http://www.hikearizona.com/decoder.php?T... for details on hikes), shopped at the posh Fashion Square mall (http://www.westcor.com/malls/index.cfm?M... dined at the Cheesecake Factory (http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/), and just relaxed.

For the educational portion of our voyage, we took a visit to the Heard Museum (www.heard.org), a fantastic collection of Native American artifacts and art. With sculpture, textiles, paintings, and more, there's definitely something for everyone. Kids will go crazy in the Ullman Learning Center, a hands-on exhibit that offers younger visitors a look at life for Native Americans.

While the Ullman Center exhibits and activities change regularly, we were able to weave, make a fish necklace or Apache pouch, and hear audiotapes of young Native Americans talk about their lives while watching videos.

We finished with a meal in the Heard's cafe -- a small restaurant offering sandwiches, soups, salads, and Native American-themed fare.

While Scottsdale is a great place to visit any time of year, it's especially fun to see the desert decorated for the holidays. There's something magical about all that sand, the cacti, and Christmas lights that made us feel that Santa really is everywhere.

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