Sometime around Halloween each year, I start worrying about how to create a fantasy for the upcoming holidays. Christmas and New Year's of course can be times of spiritual renewal and deep soulful reflection, but how about that extra spark, that memorable feeling of being out of one's ordinary life, a peak experience, so to speak?
Searching for a suspension of the humdrum, I have always enjoyed "The Nutcracker Suite" ballet. A toy nutcracker that comes to life to fight mice, a sugar plum fairy, and candies that come to life and dance. Why not?
This holiday season, my husband Wayne and I made reservations at the most atmospheric hotel we know of - The La Fonda Hotel on the Plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Let me try to recreate the experience for you.
Our first decision was to take an extra hour for the drive from El Paso to Santa Fe by choosing less traveled roads and staying off the interstate highways. Wonderfully relaxing! Time to talk, listen to local radio stations, and daydream.
Walking into the lobby of La Fonda was like being part of a movie set. There was a gigantic Christmas tree, a large gingerbread house, and, best of all, an amazing amount of hustle and bustle.
I won't bore you with details of our hotel room with a marvelous view onto a street below with a chapel spire in the background, the authentic decor of the wall decorations and furniture, or the plush bed and comfortable seating (with reading lights!) But let me take you outside the La Fonda. Take a right turn, walk half a block, and you reach the Basilica of St Francis- a beautiful place for quiet reflection.
Our next treat was dinner in La Plazuela, the La Fonda dining room. What you can't see in the picture below are the individually painted glass tiles that decorate the open area. Each tile is a different, colorful folk design. I daydream about recreating some of those deceptively simple designs on flower pots for my garden.
But the peak experience was still to come - the Christmas Eve Walk on Canyon Road. As the sun set and the night grew chilly, we bundled up and joined revelers to walk an historic road, now home to upscale art galleries and restaurants, decked out with farolitos (candles in small paper bags) and Christmas lights. Luminarias (small bonfires) were lit along the way in driveways where revelers could warm themselves and join in singing carols. There were young people in noisy groups, older people making their way slowly and carefully over the uneven street, wide-eyed children riding on dads' shoulders, families trying not to get separated, and even dogs, dressed in doggy blankets more elegant than my thrown-together winter attire. A wonderful community event.
I had found my holiday fantasy!
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