Love to rejoice in the season? So do our Byway destinations! We celebrate with several events that take us back to a time when gifts were handmade and we spent our holidays with our friends in neighbors at small town festivities.
Elephant Butte Fine Arts & Crafts Show
Saturday, November 30
9am-4pm
Elephant Butte RV Resort Center, 402 Butte Boulevard, Elephant Butte
Big Foot Wine Patio, 212 Warm Springs Boulevard, Elephant Butte
This holiday gift-buying event features locally-made, one-of-a-kind items at two locations simultaneously! At the Elephant Butte Events Center, enjoy Shattuck wines, fresh kettle corn and hot dogs while you peruse jewelry, paintings, quilts, wreaths, ornaments, pottery, gourd art, sculptures, hand-made truffles, and much more. Visit Bigfoot Wine Patio to see more art and enjoy food, wine and holiday cheer. Raffles will be held throughout the day, with ticket sales benefitting the Sierra County Cancer Assistance program.
Christmas in the Foothills
Saturday, December 7
10am-4pm
Hillsboro Community Center, 316 Elenore, Hillsboro
Artists, artisans and crafters from Hillsboro, Kingston, Berrenda, Animas Creek, T or C, Las Cruces and neighboring areas will be set up at the Food will be available from the HCC kitchen. Elsewhere in the community visit the Hillsboro General Store Cafe, the Hillsboro Trading Post, Ike Wilton’s Custom Leather, Jessica Wertz Ceramics, Persnickety’s, Rio Abajo Rio, Sue’s Antiques, Jody’s Christmas Stuff, Old Miner’s Market and more! More gift items (and displays about the area’s history) will be available at the Black Range Museum. Nine miles up the road, Kingston’s Black Range Lodge will be open to visitors.
Yuletide In Chloride
Wednesday through Sunday December 7 – 15 (closed Tuesday & Wednesday)
10am-4pm daily
Monte Cristo Gift Shop & Gallery, Wall Street, Chloride
Enjoy the scenic drive to Chloride, the holiday charm of a ghost town, great deals on works by local artisans. The Monte Cristo Gift Shop & Gallery features the work of more than two dozen local artists, providing a great selection for everyone on your gifting list as well as for yourself. Choose from paintings, photography, quilts, uniquely embroidered or hand stamped clothing, jewelry, hand crafted cards and soaps and so much more!
Monticello Holiday Store
Saturday & Sunday, December 7 & 8 and December 14 & 15
10am-3pm
Monticello Plaza
You’ll find all sorts of wonderful handmade holiday gifts at the holiday store! Numerous local artisan crafters offer unique and beautiful gifts such as candy, baked goods, artwork, health and beauty products, handmade wool clothing, jewelry, scarves, mittens, lavender and herbal products, natural salves and soaps, holiday decorations, organic foods and so much more… all in very limited supply! It is impossible to adequately describe the wonderful selection of gifts we have in store for you this year.
Old-Fashioned Christmas
Friday, December 13
6pm-9pm
Downtown Truth or Consequences
Visit downtown Truth or Consequences for a fun festive night out during Old-Fashioned Christmas! The event is sponsored annually by MainStreet Truth or Consequences. Events usually include a tree lighting at Evelyn Renfro Park at 6, a light parade, open shops serving holiday treats, and more.
Elephant Butte Luminaria Beachwalk
Saturday, December 14
5pm-9pm
Elephant Butte Lake State Park, Highway 195, Elephant Butte
The Luminaria Walk, sponsored by Elephant Butte Lake State Park and Friends of Elephant Butte Lake, features 3000 thousand luminarias lining paths on the beach leading to community‐sponsored campsites with posole, chile, cocoa, cookies, s’mores, and more! Join the carolers, visit Santa or stop by the The Steel Soldiers’ campsite to make a donation to Make‐A‐Wish.
Holiday Sing-A-Long
Friday, December 20
5-7pm
Healing Waters Plaza, 300 Daniels St., Truth or Consequences
Join the T or C community for a holiday sing-a-long! In addition to the singing everyone’s favorite carols and holiday tunes, there will be live music, fire pits and refreshments.
Christmas at the Orchard
Saturday, December 21
9am-4pm
Gants Family Orchard
714 Hwy 52, Cuchillo
Vendors, crafts, shopping and Bernice Rich’s famous pecan pies! Pancake breakfast will be served until 10:30am, hamburgers & hotdogs served from 12-2:30pm and the T or C Animal Shelter will be on hand with adoptable dogs.
Jingle Bell Treasure Hop
Saturday, December 21
10:45am-1pm
Healing Waters Plaza, 300 Daniels St., Truth or Consequences
$5 per person admission
And now for something completely different – Jingle hop your way through downtown T or C on a treasure hunt! Solve riddles and hunt for treasures in town. All ages welcome, kids must be accompanied by an adult. Entry to play is $5 per person. Join a team or play as a single. Win prizes! Celebrate the season and come have FUN!
Winter Solstice Celebration
Saturday, December 21
11am-8pm
Hot Springs Glamp Camp, 675 S. Foch, Truth or Consequences
Glamp Camp’s Third Annual Solstice Celebration promises to be an amazing day of community and celebration. Admission is free, workshops and ceremonies are by donation. Following the 11am opening ceremony (bring your own drums, rattles and etc), visit on-site massage therapists, healers, and tarot / oracle readers, and see performances by Matt Grenier, Avi Burg, Zapotec Cosmovision, Hieronymus Bogs, and Mushroom Mirror. Other events include a cacao ceremony, a tobacco ceremony, a cosmic sound bath, and a pyramid power experience. Gather around the bonfire from 6-8pm for drumming, dance and a fire prayer to close the event.
New Year’s Eve Turtle Ascension
Tuesday, December 31
8:30-10:30pm
Healing Waters Plaza, 300 Daniels Street, Truth or Consequences
A uniquely Truth or Consequences event celebrating the New Year.
Warm-up festivities get underway at 8:30 p.m. with music, presentations, and free cookies and hot cider, followed by the 10pm climactic raising of the event’s star, Teresa Tortuga, a colorfully lit metal turtle sculpture, into the heavens.
First Day Hike Over Elephant Butte Dam
Wednesday, January 1st
Elephant Butte Dam, Lakeshore Road, Elephant Butte
This is your chance to take a walk across the Dam! Elephant Butte Dam is normally closed to all traffic but for the past few years has been opened for special events including First Day Hikes.