A celebration of Santa Fe's unique holiday traditions. Christmas in Santa Fe and northern New Mexico is full of enchantment, a rich cultural feast of Spanish, Anglo and Pueblo traditions. Susan Topp Weber chronicles the best of what the region has to offer during the long holiday season and combines them with intriguing stories and gorgeous photos. Susan Topp Weber has participated in the many events of Christmas in northern New Mexico for more than forty years. She has owned and operated Susan's Christmas Shop, just off the Plaza in Santa Fe, for more than thirty years. She is frequently asked to lecture about New Mexico Christmas traditions.

Among Santa Fe's many attractions, its Christmas festivities are perhaps the most unique expression of the city's history and spirit. This lavishly illustrated book offers the reader many gifts. It captures the ambience and mix of cultural traditions -- Indian, Spanish, and frontier American -- that lend pure magic to the Christmas season in this enchanted city. A virtual Christmas cornucopia, it also presents a plethora of traditions and ideas, recipes, party plans, and decoration and gift crafts to inspire readers who wish to bring fresh enjoyment to their own Christmas celebrations. Internationally known Christmas designer Richard Clawson has put together a wealth of festive gourmet menus, recipes, Christmas decorations, and party ideas for children and adults, all illustrated in stunning colour photographs. He provides clear, detailed instructions for making innovative ornaments, decorations, and gifts out of inexpensive, easy-to-find materials. Adding a personal touch, he shares some of his own Christmas traditions and experiences. Writer Jann Arrington Wolcott traces the history of Christmas in Santa Fe and describes old traditions that remain alive, such as: Las Posadas, the re-enactment of Mary and Joseph's search for shelter, the farolitas and luminarias that light their way; the masked Matachines dancers; traditional feasts and decorations; and a more recent addition--an anonymous "Spanglish" version of "'Twas the Night before Christmas". A glimpse into the past is provided by members of old New Mexico families -- Indian, Spanish, and frontier American -- who share their earliest memories of Christmas as well as special recipes traditionally associated with the holiday season.

Lightly falling snow, covering everything in sight with a soft mantle of white, burning luminarias and mellow-light farolitos, the warm adobe architecture, the peace and quiet that settles over the land on Christmas Eve, all tend to strengthen the comparison between Santa Fe and the land where Christ was born. At no time of year is it more apparent that Santa Fe, New Mexico is a foreign city still relying on the traditions of the past. Pedro Ribera Ortega’s richly descriptive book gives all the details, including the difference between luminarias and farolitos, in case you have lived in Santa Fe all your life and still do not know the difference.

Its Christmas Eve in Santa Fe, but among the revelers on Canyon Road, a decidedly unholy scene is taking place. A desperate man, dressed all in black, feverishly seeks refuge for himself and the squirming bundle he holds tightly against his breast...

Nativities from around the world in a dazzling variety of styles Nearly one hundred nativities from all over the world—most of which have never before appeared in any book—are collected here. Artisans from locales as diverse as the Czech Republic, Guyana, Burkina Faso, and Bangladesh are represented. There are nativities made with materials ranging from hand-carved wood, blown glass, and wool, to more unique materials such as salt dough, dried maguey cactus, and recycled bicycle parts. The artistry, ingenuity, and diversity of these creations are greatly prized by thousands of nativity collectors worldwide, many of whom have graciously allowed pieces from their own collections to be photographed for this book. Susan Topp Weber has owned and operated Susan’s Christmas Shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for more than thirty years. She has a prized collection of nativities herself, which began with a gift in 1965, and has sold nativities at her shop since 1978. She is the author of Christmas in Santa Fe.

At Christmastime, William has to leave behind his cherished train set when his family goes to visit William's frightening great-grandmother.

The timeline of American history has always swept through Santa Fe, New Mexico. Settled by ancient peoples, explored by conquistadors, conquered by the U.S. cavalry, Santa Fe owns a story that stretches from the talking drums of the Pueblos to the high math of complexity theory pioneered at the Santa Fe Institute. This fresh presentation, 400 years after the Spanish founded the town in 1610, presents the full arc of Santa Fe's story that sifts through its long, complex, thrilling history. From the moment of first contact between the explorers and the native peoples, Santa Fe became a crossroads, a place of accommodations and clashes. Faith defined, sustained, and liberated the people. All the while, scoundrels and abusers of power elbowed their way into civic life. And who should piece together that story of the country's oldest capital city? The Santa Fe New Mexican, the oldest newspaper in the American West, walking side by side with the people of Santa Fe for 160 years-a long life by the standards of publishing though merely a short span in Santa Fe's timeless drama. This book was compiled from a series that appeared monthly in "The Santa Fe New Mexican" in honor of the city's 400th anniversary commemoration in 2010. It illuminates Santa Fe's enduring promise to cling to roots that are bottomless and to leap into a future that is boundless. Over 400 pages, many illustrations, timelines, index, and detailed bibliographies. Included is a Study Guide for teachers, students, and anyone interested in Santa Fe and the American Southwest.