Features

Warm Up to Winter

1 Branch out with the ol’ tannenbaum

Next to piñon wood popping in the fireplace, nothing sets the Yule mood like the fragrance of a real tree for the holidays, and you don’t have to go out on a limb to find the perfect pine in Santa Fe. Here, you can harvest your own tree in a national forest within minutes, or pick out the perfect spruce, fir, or pine from a snow-dusted lot lined with luminarias. For the traditionalists, going to the source is as simple as purchasing a $10 permit. “For centuries here, people have been going to the mountains to gather firewood, lumber, food, and now Christmas trees,” says Lawrence Lujan, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Forest Service. “It’s a real connection to our past to go into the woods and get your own tree.” Get your permit from November 19 to December 24 at Forest Service headquarters (1474 Rodeo, 505-438-7840, fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/xmas07/index.html).

If trudging into the woods isn’t your thing, pay someone else to do the work while you support a worthwhile charity. Look for the Delancey Street Foundation (505-852-4291, delanceystreetfoundation.org,) tree lots at Santa Fe Place and DeVargas Center beginning the day after Thanksgiving. Proceeds help the residents of national nonprofit Delancey Street’s center at Okhay Owingeh Pueblo get back on their feet by learning hands-on skills.

You can also purchase a living tree and use it for landscaping afterward—a holiday gift that will last for decades. Piñon, Douglas fir, Colorado blue spruce, and Austrian pine are low-water choices that start at $24–$149 each, depending on the species. Try Plants of the Southwest (505-438-8888, plantsofthesouth west.com), Santa Fe Greenhouses (505-473-2700, santafegreenhouses.com), Santa Fe Tree Farm (505-984-2888, santafetree.com), Agua Fria Nursery (505-983-4831), Payne’s Nursery (505-988-8011, paynes.com), and other local greenhouses for varieties that can become a living part of your home and a year-round holiday memory.—Steve Larese


2  Join in a local holiday tradition

Our seasonal traditions range from the beautiful to the slightly quirky. Regardless of your take on things, our mild winters, with just the right dusting of snow, provide the perfect time to bundle up the family and commune with your fellow norteños in a host of activities that are oh so Santa Fe.

On December 16, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the couple’s elfin posse come out of safekeeping at the New Mexico Museum of Art for their 75th annual appearance at St. Francis Auditorium (107 W Palace): the wooden marionettes, carved by local artist Gustave Baumann, are showcased from 1 to 4 pm, with a host of other activities—storytelling, music, and plays—surrounding the event. It’s the one chance you’ll have to get your photo taken with Santa on your lap. Free. Info: 505-476-5072, mfasantafe.org

Later that Sunday, look for the procession of Las Posadas assembling at 5:30 pm in front of the Palace of the Governors for the 101st time in as many years. Join the crowd as Mary and Joseph take their annual trek to find lodging, with the devil doing his darnedest to thwart them. Of course, the couple finally finds room at the Inn (for us, the Palace), and you can join them in the courtyard, where you’ll find cider, cookies, and caroling. Free.

Starting at 5 pm on December 21, gather at the Plaza to watch La Fonda executive chef Lane Warner and staff carve ten tons of ice into Santa Claus and his sleigh of eight not-so-tiny reindeer in a nonstop 24-hour blitz. This is the 13th year, with the ice carving becoming a fixture through the holidays. Plus, the hotel provides hot chocolate and bizcochitos to spectators. Info: 505-982-5511, lafondasantafe.com

One of the best aspects of the holiday season is the magic of lights that brighten our cold winter nights. Santa Fe officially turns up the wattage around the Plaza on November 24, and a December 4 menorah lighting marks the beginning of Hanukkah. Farther north, Taos kicks off the season with its annual lighting of historic Ledoux Street on December 1, followed by a nightly farolito lighting on its Plaza from December 15 to 31. Then there’s the holiday must-do high on everyone’s list: the Christmas Eve farolito walk in Santa Fe’s historic east side, starting at sundown. Info: Laura Banish, 505-955-6046—SL


3  Treat yourself to a tamale (or ten)

Any way you wrap it, a tamale—that seasonal favorite we associate with this time of year—speaks volumes about the history of this region. As far back as 5,000 B.C., Homo sapiens has enveloped food in coverings, be they corn husks or plantain leaves. The reasons? To protect the food while exposing it to any of a variety of heat sources, and to make the finished product a little bundle-to-go.

Filled with sweet or savory fare, these festive packets do take dexterity and a fair amount of time (about three hours) to make, so a holiday family-and-friends gathering is the ideal opportunity to indulge.

Traditional tamales are built around an inner mound of softened masa, a type of dried corn that has been soaked in limestone water to dissolve the hard exterior. Fill yours with ingredients from meats and chiles to fish, nuts, dried fruits, cheeses, beans, capers, and olives. There is no end to the creative spin imaginative chefs give this dish.

Corn husks and masa are available in most grocery stores (Quaker makes a perfectly acceptable one), but if you’re unsure of how to proceed, take a cooking class. Las Cosas Cooking Shoppe offers a Tamale Roll December 15 ($65, 505-988-3394, lascosas cooking.com), and Santa Fe School of Cooking holds its hands-on tamale class December 21 ($95, 505-983-4511, santafeschoolofcooking.com). Want them ready-made? Call Posa’s El Merendero restaurant for a perfect take-home treat. (3538 Zafarano, 505-473-3454).—JV


4  Pair meals with locally made pours

As we gather at tables and toast the promise of a new year, consider celebrating with a wine from New Mexico. Not every state’s residents can—and our grapes made history as some of the first to be planted in the New World, in the late 1600s. But it’s our 20th-century pioneers who have established the state as one of our nation’s up-and-coming wine regions.

For a good, festive standby regardless of the servings, the Albuquerque-based Gruet (gruetwinery.com) makes two sparkling rosés: a vintage Grand Rosé with floral and cherry flavors ($32) and a non-vintage with hints of strawberry ($14). Match turkey or salmon with the “semi-dry” Chenin Blanc from D.H. Lescombes, with flavors of melon and herb ($12, blueteal.com), or set Vivác’s plump, bitter-chocolate Dolcetto beside leg of lamb ($15, vivacwinery.com). If chile should appear on your menu, serve the lush cranberry-and-vanilla Zinfandel from Milagro ($16, milagrovineyardsand winery.com). Pair a pepper-encrusted standing rib roast with Black Mesa’s rich red blends like “Coyote,” a Cabernet/Shiraz offering essences of black cherry, licorice, and cassis ($25, blackmesawinery.com). Casa Rondeña produces a graceful Cabernet Franc exuding stewed blackberry and violet ($19, casarodena.com), ideal with a braised beef tenderloin. Finish the night with the heady spice of a plummy port from La Chiripada ($35, lachiripada.com). Still want more? Go to the New Mexico Wine Growers site (nmwine.com) to discover the range of styles and varieties available here. And, for a non-alchoholic pour, purchase the festive, all-organic apple cider made locally by Santa Fe Cider ($9, santafecider.com), perfect for everyone from teetotalers to tots and available at most local grocery stores. Cheers!—James Selby

5  Cash in on seasonal freebies

Maxed out with holiday spending? Here are five suggestions for celebrating the season that won’t cost you a dime.

Enjoy a silent night from the Cross of the Martyrs, a quaint park high above the city at Paseo de Peralta and Hillside, on any snowy eve for an exceptional experience. With the twinkling lights of the City Different spread below and the incense of piñon smoke wafting up, these moments define Santa Fe in the winter.

For a little taste of history, sip hot chocolate at El Zaguán, the cozy property at 545 Canyon Road that’s now home to the Historic Santa Fe Foundation. Back in the late 1880s, hot chocolate was all the rage, and this former house even has a space called the “hot chocolate room.” Bring a thermos of your own and, after strolling along Canyon Road, enjoy sitting in the winter garden (open 9–5, Mon–Sat). Info: historicsantafe.com/pop-zaguan.html

You don’t need a lift ticket to enjoy the snow. Hyde Park, on the way to the Santa Fe ski basin, is a 350-acre winter wonderland for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, hiking, tubing, sledding—even winter camping. Day use is free. Info: 505-476-3355, emnrd.state.nm.us/prd/hyde.htm

The pueblos around Santa Fe generously open their doors to outsiders to share their unique traditions and dances during this special time of year. Most have Christmas Eve vespers and Christmas Day dances; several celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day, December 12, including Pojoaque Pueblo (505-455-2278). Info: Eight Northern Pueblos, 505-852-4265, eightnorthernpueblos.com

Spend Sunday at an art museum. In one of the most underutilized deals around, the Museum of New Mexico offers free entrance to five institutions, from the Palace of the Governors to the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, all day on Sundays with a New Mexico ID. With the weekend throngs of visitors gone, winter is the perfect time to check out these cultural treasures. Info: 505-476-1148, museumofnewmexico.org—SL

6  Brush up on artistic pursuits

What’s an art lover to do in winter in Santa Fe? So few openings … so much time. In truth, winter is the ideal time to explore and feed one’s creative soul. To begin with, all the tourists clogging the museums in high season are gone. Make it a point to go to the ones you don’t visit often. When was the last time you went to the Wheelwright Museum, the Poeh Cultural Museum in Pojoaque, or the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos, for example? If you don’t have children, borrow some from a friend and take them along to any museum. Ask them what they think about things; their answers will be much more interesting than anything any art critic writes (including this one).

Set aside a Saturday afternoon to visit a gallery you’ve never been to before (and with 250-plus to experience, who can say they’ve seen it all in this town?).

Winter is a cool time—literally—to take a class in anything hot. And here, you have choices. Like ceramics classes at Santa Fe Clay (505-984-1122, santafeclay.com) or “Forging for the Sculptor’’ or “Artistic Welding’’ at the Santa Fe Community College (505-428-1676, sfccnm.edu).

At the very least, resolve to do something creative. Barter a lesson with your friends (e.g., I’ll trade you three dinners out or nights of babysitting for three afternoons of drawing lessons.) Or get together for an “art afternoon.” Lay in a supply of good wine, cheese, and chocolate. Hit Artisan art-supply store (505-954-4179, artisan santafe.com) for some media to mix, and make art. Bad art, good art—it doesn’t really matter. And besides, who’s to say which is which?—Hollis Walker

7 Bake some bizcochitos

With its delicate anise-seed flavor and cinnamon-sugar coating, this confection will delight anyone with a sweet tooth and reverence for tradition. In fact, New Mexico was the first state to have an official cookie (decreed in 1979), so it’s no wonder that kids and grandmas alike happily cream the lard and sugar together when the snow starts to fly. However, there is in fact no official recipe for the bizcochito. Some versions call for a nip of brandy or a splash of red or “sweet” wine, but there’s always crushed anise seed, sure to fill the house with its festive fragrance.

Purists will argue that this favorite regional cookie must be made with lard. But however you grease up the crumble-tender pastry, which may have originated in Spain as a shortbread some 400 years ago, just make sure you do.—JV

1972–2007 Celebrating 35 Years of Santa Fean
[From 1993]

Bizcochitos
1 pound pure lard
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, mixed well
6 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons anise seed
1 teaspoon salt

Mix sugar and lard until creamy. Add eggs and anise and cream some more. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder and mix with first mixture. Add enough water to hold together. Roll out 1/4 inch thick on floured board and cut into Christmas shapes with cookie cutters or a knife. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and bake in 375-degree oven for 10–12 minutes.

8 Explore the city’s hidden hot spots

This winter, while you’re out window-shopping, why not explore new territory around town? Consider these staring points.

In the late 1880s, a series of warehouses was built along the tracks near Guadalupe Street, including the Santa Fe Builders Supply Company, also known as Sanbusco. Some 100 years later, it’s still a major retail center (500 Montezuma, sanbusco.com), with everything from a shoe store (On Your Feet) to South American imports (Chapare), hip fashions (Bodhi Bazaar), and pet gifts (Teca-Tu). Grab a latte at Borders, peruse specialty pens at Santa Fe Pens, and get creative at the tiny but terrific Science Toy Magic store. Sanbusco also makes a great starting point for shopping in the new Railyard District—from Cielo’s upscale tableware, to the north, down to the fine outdoor furniture at Moss, next to the Railyard Restaurant and Saloon.

The Design Center (418 Cerrillos), a hidden jewel in a former car dealership just a block from Guadalupe, includes fine menswear (Corsini Studio), traditional tinwork and Spanish Colonial furniture (Diseños and Feriarte), creative lighting options (Made in the Shade), and Mexican furniture and home accessories (El Paso Imports). Nosh on the gyros at Cleopatra Café and enjoy the comforts of indoor shopping in this two-story complex.

The industrial live/work spaces at Second Street Studios house a range of small businesses. Longtime anchors Cloud Cliff Bakery and the nearby Second Street Brewery now operate alongside Farrell Fischoff Gallery, The Chocolatesmith, Tara’s Organic Ice Cream, Backroad Pizza, and a host of others. Once the adjacent Lena Street Lofts are complete, expect even more.

Drive north on Pacheco for a host of contemporary home furnishings stores clustered at Pacheco Park (1512 Pacheco). This stylish new four-building complex houses Santa Fe Modern Home, Victoria Price Art & Design, and Santa Fe by Design, along with Carpenteros’ workshop and Desert Rain Systems.—Liz Napieralski

9 Give something back

In addition to its countless creative industries, Northern New Mexico also boasts 600-plus nonprofits. So while you’re busy spreading holiday cheer, think about helping those less fortunate. Below are but a sampling of some of our extraordinary organizations in need of help. If you’re still undecided, the Santa Fe Community Foundation (sfcf.org) provides a listing of groups by area of interest.

Since 1973, the Rape Crisis & Trauma Treatment Center has been dedicated to eliminating sexual violence through treatment, counseling, rehabilitation, and education. Help by making a cash donation or volunteering to work the 24-hour crisis line. Info: 505-988-1951, sfrcc.org

La Familia Medical Center has helped the uninsured receive quality health care for 35 years, providing medical and dental services regardless of a patient’s financial resources. You can help by giving a cash donation. Info: 505-955-0302, lafamiliasf.org

Esperanza means “hope” in Spanish, and the Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families helps people overcome violence. The shelter also offers emergency counseling, community outreach, and crisis intervention. Help out by donating clothing, bath products, and kitchen or office supplies. Check out the “wish list” on the website. Info: 505-474-5536, esperanzashelter.org

Staffed entirely by volunteers, Food for Santa Fe provides roughly 1,000 bags of non-perishable foods to those in need each week. Get involved by volunteering to pack bags every Wednesday morning, or by distributing them every Thursday at the Coll-Greene Angel Depot at 1222 Siler. Info: 505-466-1961, foodforsantafe.org—LN


10 Resolve to go green

Saving the earth isn’t seasonal—it’s something we need to think about every day of the year. And in Santa Fe, we have amazing resources: some of the best people and ideas in the green industry. Plus, 2008 is the International Year of the Planet, so let’s all resolve to be greener. Here are a few ways how. Winterize: Save on energy by weatherproofing your home. Consult the nonprofit Los Amigos Educational Resource Center (505-983-7743) for ideas, or have the group’s energy auditors come to your house and make recommendations. For those who can pay, these visits cost about $200, which helps fund free audits for low-income residents. Recycle: This year the long-awaited Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station opened. Now let’s use it (and grab some free mulch at the station). Info: 505-955-2220, santafenm.com. Learn more: Sign up for classes at SFCC’s Center for Community Sustainability (505-428-1000), on topics like solar hot water heating and rainwater gardening. Listen to podcasts from the Lannan Foundation (505-986-8160, podcast.lannan.org), which hosted climate expert Tim Flannery in October, to better understand current problems. Just do it: There are solutions—and these people can prove it: Earth Works Institute (505-982-9806, earthworks institute.org), Local Energy (505-982-9800, localenergy.org), and Architecture 2030 (architecture2030.com). To get off the grid, talk with experts at Cedar Mountain Solar (505-474-5445, cedar mountainsolar.com) and Positive Energy (505-424-1112, positivenergy.com). Where there’s a will, there’s a way.—Ashleigh Morris

Locals’ faves

How do we locals like to kick it in the winter? We asked a smattering of Santa Feans for their favorite picks for: 1) the best place to take holiday guests for a real Santa Fe experience, 2) our best local holiday tradition, and 3) the best winter getaway in our region.

Las Posadas on the Plaza: This unusual reenactment is so very Santa Fe. Grown-ups and children alike really get into hissing at the devil as he runs from one rooftop to the next around the Plaza. The Canyon Road farolito walk: At about 4 pm every Christmas Eve, when Canyon Road becomes a pedestrian-only street and the farolitos are lit,all you can see is the glow of lights. It’s an evening of friends and family, reminding me of the way Santa Fe has historically welcomed all who wish to be a part of its quirky charm. A day trip to ski in Taos and then dinner at Joseph’s Table. —Tonya Turner Carroll, gallerist

Shidoni’s Saturday afternoon bronze pours followed by a walk in the sculpture garden give you the chance to see amazing work in a beautiful setting. Ski Santa Fe; it’s a wonderful reason to come here during the off-season. —Tommy Hicks, founder, Shidoni Tent Rocks: simply amazing. In town: Cross of the Martyrs, with its great view of the city and the mountains; Maria’s for margaritas and The Shed for New Mexican food. The Canyon Road farolito walk, of course. No city in the world has anything like it (and I’m Jewish!) Skiing or any other outdoor activity at Hyde Park: It’s covered with snow and beautiful this time of year.—Stephen Rubin, filmmaker, director, Santa Fe Film Festival

The holiday tree lighting on the Plaza. (It’s a big thrill for us to push the button!) Any of the Pueblo dances, but especially the Matachines. Cross-country skiing in Chama: You can cross over into Colorado via the Cumbres Pass. —Congressman Tom Udall and wife Jill Cooper

Lunch at historic El Farol, rubbing shoulders with the colorful ghosts of Los Cinco Pintores. My three can’t-miss events: The ancient folk drama Las Posadas; Christmas Eve’s Canyon Road farolito walk; and, regardless of one’s spiritual leanings, midnight Mass at St. Francis Cathedral for a soul-soothing holiday experience. A winter getaway: The magical Pueblo dances, including Los Matachines, a centuries-old exotic favorite.—Jann Arrington Wolcott, author Sunrise Springs: beautiful surroundings and great food, especially the Sunday brunch at Blue Heron restaurant; and it’s also the perfect winter getaway. Pueblo feast days: good food, great art, uplifting dances, energy, and good vibes all around.—Aysen New, clothing designer

Staff picks

The Pink Adobe for dinner; Bishop’s Lodge for Sunday brunch; and St. Francis Basilica, which is always heavenly and even more so at the holidays.—Mary Meredith; The free concerts at La Fonda performed by Eldorado Elementary School’s first- and second-grade choruses. Afterwards, check out the model train at First National Bank with a diorama of New Mexico villages.—Natalie Baca; Dorothy Stewart Trail. It’s a short, sweet loop that gets less traffic, plus you get lovely views of the surrounding peaks. —Jason Silverman

Maria’s. It’s as local as local New Mexican food gets.—Marin Sardy; The tradition of setting out farolitos all around town, not just on Canyon Road.—Ashleigh Morris; Sledding at the Santa Fe ski basin. We took our nieces and nephews last year and had a blast!—Jeff Fenton