Before Sly Stone’s performance of “I Want to Take You Higher” at Woodstock in 1969, Sly and the Family Stone’s frontman invited concertgoers to join in on the chorus, “… (some) feel it might be old-fashioned, but you must dig that it is not a fashion in the first place. It is a feeling. If it was good in the past, it’s still good.”

Albeit stemming from a different artform, the same could be said for the Denver Botanic Gardens Blossoms of Light event being held between November 17 and January 7. For the 38th year, the “feeling” has indubitably been achieved once again. Workers began meticulously installing the over one million LED lights of the exhibit just after Labor Day. The hugely popular attraction is the Botanic Garden’s biggest happening of the year. Mesmerizing attendees with a kaleidoscope of Christmas hues, tints, tones, and shades that engulf the senses with beauty, serenity, and holiday spirit, Associate Director of Communications Erin Bird noted that, “Blossoms of Light is a multi-generational tradition for many families. Young families that visited in the 1980s return with their children or great grandchildren.”

The 17-foot-tall, 200-foot-long, 20,000-light tunnel with an everchanging pallet of color is your introduction to a labyrinth of pathways that wend through the complex’s 24 acres. The network of lighting was artistically utilized in creating the magical wonderland. Illuminated ribbons, lighted archways, and glowing arrangements resembling blossoms of all sizes bedazzle. Grabbing the attention of a young boy, a cottontail rabbit nibbled on plants off to the side in what must be the most prime piece of real estate in all of Denver for it to reside.

Updated this year to further enhance the experience, the Amphitheater display has been outfitted with an array of new light sticks that give the appearance of giant icicles sprouting from the ground. The higher tech programming brings them to life with choreographed waves of light dancing to-and-fro.

Perhaps the most spectacular scene can be found at the Monet Pool where visitors are seemingly immersed in a life-size French Impressionism painting. Radiant spheres suspended above the water cycling from yellow to green to blue to purple add a dose of Salvador Dali Surrealism. The striking reflections on the pool from the surrounding lighted trees burst in the exact colors of a rainbow macaw’s plumage.

Located at the Denver Botanic Gardens at 1007 York Street, Blossoms of Light is open daily from 4:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. Tickets range from $19 to $25 and must be purchased online. Perennially sold out during the most desired dates and times, it is recommended to secure your reservations early.

For more information about Blossoms of Light, go to www.botanicgardens.org.