Waiting for Santa Clause in Santa Fe // Christmas in New Mexico
Ya’ll. Santa Fe in the winter is just the cutest. The mountains, the snow, the art – turns out New Mexico was the perfect place to spend Christmas. Totally worth the 15+ hour drive from Louisiana….
Yes, I guess I should start off this post by saying that when my family goes on a vacation, we drive there. No matter where we’ve gone in the US, we’ve driven from Louisiana. New York City? Yep, we drove there (24 hours). Orlando? Yep, drove there too (11 hours). My parents claim its to save money on plane tickets, but I think that with the gas expenditures and hotels/food along the way, we can’t be saving that much money. I think the main reason is to do the whole “road trip” thing – to pass great scenery and be able to stop at random places we find along the way. And although when I was younger having to sit in the back seat of our car with my little brother for 6+ hours was my own personal hell, in the end it really did lead to a better experience (and I like to think I earned some good karma).
And in this case, it lead us to Santa Fe, New Mexico, which turns out is the picture-perfect town to spend a snowy Christmas
So this trip was no exception. It took us 16 hours to drive from Louisiana across Texas to get to New Mexico. Also, in case you didn’t know, there is literally NOTHING in Texas after Amarillo. And I truly mean nothing. There’s even signs telling you to fill up your car with gas because there will be no gas stations/signs of life for many hours onward.
Cadillac Ranch
While you’re stopping in gas for Amarillo, you could check out the Cadillac Ranch like we did. It’s on the side of the highway, so it’s hard to miss. It’s a public art installation that has brightly painted Cadillacs from the 60s and 70s stuck halfway into the dirt. The cars are covered in graffiti, and anyone is welcome to add their own artistic touch (I did). Its literally a bunch of graffitied cars in a line in the dirt in the middle of nowhere, so basically..ya gotta see it and really enjoy its randomness.
We FINALLY arrived to Santa Fe
After a long drive during which my love for my family was truly tested, we arrived in Santa Fe – our first stop on our New Mexican adventure. But the drive was definitely worth it, because Santa Fe during Christmas is the absolute cutest. The house we rented through VRBO was walking distance from the picturesque little town square. The city was filled with this amazing Native American/Hispanic architecture that was so charming.
Side note: The best thing about our humble little adobe abode (see what I did there?) was that it was right around the corner from a fantastic little record shop/cafe called The Good Stuff. I scored some decently-priced Beatles albums and a Jonsi record!
The town square had a ton of cute little shops, both local and chains. Between chain stores like Chico’s there would be a local store with handmade art and sculptures. One of my favorite things about Santa Fe was the art there – form handmade paintings, sculptures, and good sold at stores to giant art displays and murals around the city. Another great thing about Santa Fe was that even though you were in one of the biggest cities of New Mexico, you felt like you were in a small, Native American village. There weren’t any skyscrapers, and even the government buildings were flat-roofed adobe structures. It was like it was untouched by time.
Farolito Walk
On Christmas Eve night, we attended a Christmas celebration called the “Farolito Walk.” We started off the night in Town Square, then headed to Canyon Road, a street in Santa Fe famous for its galleries and studios showing everything from traditional Native American and Hispanic art to modern art. Tons of laminated paper laterns (farolitos) line the streets. The galleries are open late for the Christmas celebration for visitors to visit. If galleries aren’t really your thing, you could just stroll along Canyon Road and take in the Christmas lights, carolers, and bonfires. There were even stands selling food, hot chocolate, and cider. Its free and the children and adults of my family had a great time, even with the heavy snowfall.
Christmas morning in New Mexico was spent with family in our cozy little house with a Christmas tree we had bought in the city and decorated a few days earlier. The newly fallen snow was great for making snowmen and having snowball fights. It was an amazing Christmas, so different than the warm ones we usually have back home.
Moral of the story is:
1. Long road trips are good for karma but bad for anger management.
2. Don’t drive past Amarillo, TX unless absolutely necessary.
3. Santa Fe during Christmas is a MUST. Small-town vibe with tons to do and see.
