Here’s your 360 degree view of the Mormon church lights at Temple Square

It felt enough like the holiday season, anyway.

Although some leaves still clung stubbornly to their branches and the temperature flirted with the high 50s at dusk Friday, families began their holiday festivities as the lights flipped on at Temple Square.

“It’s beautiful,” said John Seiter, who had come down from Smithfield with his wife, Debbie. “It’s exciting because all the people are here and it just puts us in the mood for the holidays.”

Visitors inched around the Salt Lake Temple grounds, inadvertently wandering into strangers’ livestreams and festive family photos as they looked at the lights.

The lights and Nativity scenes will be on display at the downtown Salt Lake City plaza until Jan. 3.

The tradition of decorating the grounds at the LDS Church’s Salt Lake City temple has been an annual attraction for 52 years. In 1965, arborist J. Leland Behunin spent six weeks hanging 40,000 lights in Temple Square.

The Cedar of Lebanon — a 70-foot tall tree — is lit every other year, to help the tree survive longer, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.