New Mexico Holidays

A Secret Holiday Place - Better Than a Hotel

If you plan ahead, you may land a vacation home, rented by the day, week or month. Plan far ahead and rent through santafegetaway.com. Having a complete kitchen adds to the enjoyment of the holidays. Being in driving distance to holiday shopping and festivities just adds to the fun.

The Santa Fe Holiday Scene

The Santa Fe holiday scene is an exciting picture: Galleries are open in the evenings along Canyon Road. Holiday shoppers and visitors stroll from gallery to gallery, taking in the art and, in some, stopping for a sip of wine. After a short walk, you will encounter holiday revelers standing around bonfires lighting the corners and singing Christmas Carols.

An ideal evening starts out with drinks at a local restaurant listening to live music. Then it’s off for a brief stroll to any one of a selection of fine Santa Fe restaurants. My friends rave over The Shed, with their blue corn enchiladas, The Pink Adobe with continental and New Mexican fare, and for Mexican food, she said, “Try Tomasitas.” Thomasitas Santa Fe Station is located at 500 South Guadalupe. The restaurant is housed in a converted train station left over from the wild, wild west.

Events

Right through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on to New Year’s there is plenty to do and enjoy in Santa Fe. We like to attend holiday concerts at the Lensic Theatre. Don’t go without a ticket, though… you must plan in advance. She said the concerts on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are very special. You can purchase tickets on the website.

At the Native American Pueblos, there are unique festivities planned. She suggested the traditional dancing held over the holidays. Eight Northern Pueblos information is, 505-852-4265.

A Special Breakfast

Out Cerrillos Road, you will encounter “Tecolote,” which means owl in Spanish. At Techolote Cafe, they make their own bread and are known for breakfast delights featuring home-made bread. The French toast sounds good to me...

Planning Ahead for Christmas

With its large Hispanic population, the celebration of Christmas is a major festival. A beautiful aspect of this celebration is the appearance everywhere of "luminarias": "little lanterns" in Spanish, these are little paper bags with sand (for stability) and a small candle inside.

Thousands of these small flames line streets, staircases, doorways. You can enjoy luminaria displays in Old Town Albuquerque, Santa Fe, or in smaller and Taos.

Spas, Shopping and Two Buck Chuck

Make a Trader Joe’s run while in Santa Fe to stock up on snacks and “Two Buck Chuck.” For those that are “Trader Joe’s-deprived,” Two Buck Chuck is a nickname for Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw wines. For two or three dollars, depending on the taxes, you can enjoy a great Chardonnnay or Cabernet Savignon. Try some and you will find out why folks buy cases at a time.

Santa Fe has some great shopping. Jewelry, artwork and even chocolate candy with southwest peppers provides the shopper with plenty of southwest gift choices.

With all the activities, walking from gallery to gallery and holiday hustle and bustle, you may need a spa break during your stay. An unusual place, “10,000 Waves,” is a “Japanese Pagoda Spa,” and it sounded like an ideal place to ensure that you return home relaxed and refreshed.

Native American Dances
Various animal dances occur during the winter season, including the buffalo, eagle or game animal dances on and following Christmas, at the Jemez pueblo.