Nevada newcomers adjust to life, holidays in Las Vegas

Celebrating the holidays in Las Vegas can take some getting used to. It's a place where it rarely rains, let alone snows, and one is more apt to see Elvis than Santa Claus.

Psychologically, what can newcomers expect to experience?

"It'll depend on the circumstances under which you moved here," said Dr. Michelle Carro, assistant psychology professor-in-residence and director of The PRACTICE: A UNLV Community Mental Health Clinic at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. "If you're excited about moving somewhere, can't wait to establish yourself with a new life, a new job, a new city, you might not feel (anxious) very much at all. You might be excited to spend (the holidays) with someone else or meeting new friends, taking it in stride. You'll miss your family, certainly, but you can still be excited that you're here.

"But if someone had moved here perhaps under less ideal circumstances, they may be more apt to pine for the things they're missing back home."

She said bringing a piece of an old tradition was fine but that having a willingness and openness to new experiences could lead to new traditions to make the holidays bright.

How have those new to Las Vegas come to view Christmas in the desert?

LOVING THE OUTDOORS

Craig Johnson, 51, moved from Frederick, Md., in October. A new supervisory position brought him to Las Vegas. He said seeing it for himself made him appreciate that Las Vegas was more than just the Strip.

"That's all people talk about, the Strip," he said. "But when you get here, and you see it, of course I love the weather. It's phenomenal. And the other thing is that I get to see all the mountains and everything, and it was like, 'Oh, this is what I love, the mountains. And I love being outdoors to do stuff.'

"The opportunity to hike and bike and everything, it's just phenomenal. So that's what really drew me, the environment. I could care less about the Strip. ... Give me the plain outdoors."

In the past, he said he spent virtually every Christmas with family in Lynchburg, Va. Because it was about a four-hour drive, he'd make a trip of it, staying a few days and catching up with everyone.

Lynchburg enjoys a moderate climate, so any snow that fell was only inches deep. The family gathered at his parents' house for a Christmas feast.

Now that he's in Las Vegas, how's it going to be for him?

"It'll be interesting," Johnson said. "I'm still thinking of going home for Christmas. But right now I'm in an extended-stay hotel. I finally sold my home, and I'm trying to buy one here. ... But it'll be touch and go whether I can get a home. Hopefully, I can still do that."

He said everyone he has met in Las Vegas has been friendly and welcoming.

"That's the thing that really struck me ---- it was just wide-open arms," he said.

He said the lack of greenery took a little getting used to, but he doesn't miss it that much. Mount Charleston is there if he wants greenery. He said he doesn't miss the mosquitoes or gnats back east.

"What's so cool about here is that I do hike. I've been hiking every weekend," he said.

CREATING NEW TRADITIONS

Dr. B. Kevin Shamloo, a medical oncologist, was born and raised in Iran, living there until he was 28. He grew up in the mountainous region with plenty of ski resorts and saw his share of snow. He was brought up in a non-Christian family, so he did not celebrate Christmas then, but he said he "had a lot of Armenian friends, and they threw parties, and we'd go there and celebrate together. I like it. I think it is a beautiful holiday ... The spirit of Christmas, I liked it a lot. I could relate to it."

He liked it so much, he adopted the tradition after moving to Maryland in 2002. He and his then-wife started a family and began putting up a tree about three or four years ago, he said. They enjoyed sharing the holiday with their daughter, Maya, 5. One of their traditions was going out at night to see the Christmas lights.

Shamloo divorced and moved to Las Vegas in August 2010 and now lives alone. He will be on call this Christmas but made arrangements to fly back to spend time with Maya and give her gifts. He said he will likely see snow when he's there. He said his daughter gets excited when Christmas comes around.

He will fly back to Las Vegas for the holiday. What will it be like for him?

"I love Vegas, I love California/Vegas-type weather," he said. "But you miss it. It's just something that I grew up with, snow all around me, all the time. So it's just different. Even though I'm on call, it doesn't mean that I have to be there. So I have my dog, and I have a cousin here" for company.

He said he likes to read poems, a tradition in Iran. He lights candles and enjoys relaxing in front of his blazing fireplace.

A LONELY TIME

Audrey Ziebert came from Maryland in 2005 and recalled how depressed she was when she first arrived in Las Vegas.

"I just cried," she said. "There was nobody here that we knew, and I had no family here, no kids here."

Back east, she had a big party at her house every year for about 80 people. She said she hasn't done that since moving here, nor has she unpacked her holiday decorations.

"I still have boxes in the garage. It's ridiculous," she said.

MAKING NEW FAMILY WITH FRIENDS

"I make Christmas, Christmas," said Dee Oden, formerly of San Diego. "It's a special holiday, and I just love it, and even though I have no family here, I have all these friends."

She said when she moved here, she and her husband knew only one other couple, and they didn't have any family in Las Vegas, either. So they got together to celebrate.

"Christmas is what you make out of it," she said.

The biggest change was acclimating to the weather. Oden started her own tradition - Christmas brunches. She made a point of inviting people who were recent transplants.

"If we knew you were living here, and you didn't have any friends, we'd invite you ... if you know somebody's lonely, that's when you want to invite them," she said.

NOT MISSING SNOW BUT MISSING FAMILY

Pat Andrzejewski is from New York. She moved here in January.

She celebrated Christmas with a sister who lives in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., which can get anywhere from 6 inches to a foot of snow, she said, adding that she will not miss the snow. But she will miss family.

"We haven't decided if we're going back (for the holiday) yet," she said.

She has decided to continue her own tradition of baking cookies. She hands them out to virtually everyone.

"Everybody I know, some of the waitresses I know at restaurants, get some of my cookies, people from this club, my neighbors. My Christian friends get red and green sprinkles on their cookies. My Jewish friends get blue."

BROUGHT HERE BY A LIFE CHANGE

June Fisher moved to Las Vegas in August 2011. She's from Indiana and saw snow as high as her waist. Her children went sledding when they were little. They decorated the house for the holidays, with her doing the interior and her late husband decorating the outside. They spent Christmas with family.

She belongs to a euchre club, and at Christmastime, they exchange gifts, as well as little favors or decorations for a tree.

"Basically my tree was made up of things I'd gotten through the years from friends," Fisher said. "When the children are small, you do a lot of things, traditional things, plus their gifts. But as the years went by, it was just gifts from my friends."

The first thing she noticed about Christmas in Las Vegas?

"Nothing," she said. "I didn't see any decorations. I saw very little. Since I'm a recent widow, I didn't care."

Her husband, Danny, died two years ago in Indiana. They were married 40 years. Fisher decided she needed a change, and because she had a good friend in Las Vegas, she decided to move here. But just before her move, that friend died unexpectedly.

"So, when I moved, I knew no one here, but I'd already sold my house," she said.

Last year she left town to spend Christmas with her daughter. When she returned, she was surprised - her sister had decorated the place while she was gone.

"It felt nice to have the house decorated, but if not for her, I wouldn't have decorated it," she said.

Her plans for Christmas are up in the air, she said.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.