Winter Guide

uch like the groundhog's coquettish peer signals the arrival of spring; the gorging of oneself at Thanksgiving dinner signals the advent of winter in the Limón household. The rolls are aplenty, the turkey is bacon-covered and the cranberry sauce flows like manna. "Aren't you going to wear a jacket?" My shocked mother exclaimed during my recent quickie trip to the San Diego homestead. "It's under 65-degrees," she continued.

Winters might be cute in California, but they ain't no child's play here. Ears are muffled, windshields are freshly scrapped and in my case, prayers are launched to a parka-clad Blessed Mother in hopes of keeping my gas bill in check.

Living up to our city's motto, wintertime in Santa Fe is different—farolitos line rooftops and driveways, a crisp nip is in the air and a Disneyland-worthy display of holiday décor is at hand. Here at SFR we've had plenty of inspiration putting together our annual Winter Guide—in part because our thermostat has been on the fritz for the last two months and stuck at a frosty 55-degrees—and also, because our collective hoarding tendencies have made our year-round editorial Christmas tree (which I found in a dumpster two Julys ago) a true sight.

Every day, it seems, a co-worker embellishes it just a tad more (beer pong balls? I know just the right space for them. A discarded candy bar wrapper? Ooh, just imagine how it'll catch the light. An old Obama Halloween mask? Sounds like the perfect topper to us!) A town that has "Santa" in its name has free rein to do the holidays its own way, so how's about a haunted tour? Click here for all the fun. Ghosts of Christmas past (or the season in general) not your thing? You'll empathize with our resident Grinch's list of holiday things he hates. Inside, you'll also find everything from firewood buying tips to our ever-popular Ski Grid. We wrap it up with a bow in the form of an essay by lifelong Santa Fean (and master extreme holiday decorator) Ray Herrera on what the holidays mean to him.

So pour yourself a hot cup of spiked cocoa, bust out the chopsticks, bundle up and get cozy with this here guide. We saved the coldest spot next to our dumpster tree for you. Norman Rockwell, eat your heart out.

-Enrique Limón

Santa Fe Reporter