Susan's Christmas Shop Newsletter
– Taos Fiesta Day –
September 20th, 2026
Dear Customers and Friends of Susan's Christmas Shop,
It is officially autumn now. Maxmilian sunflowers and Purple Astors can be seen in Santa Fe. A busy bee was visiting a blossom in my backyard. Chamisa, a high desert shrub, is starting to bloom. The summer heat is gone, and my grateful rose bush has a hopeful bud. The aspen in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are golden. The weather is lovely.
This year Autumn brought the added pleasure of a three-week visit from my son and Spanish daughter-in-law (They live in Spain) and a weekend visit from Ric, my grandson who lives in Arizona. His mother is my daughter, Melissa.
Another annual pleasure of the season is Taos Feast Day on September 30th.
Taos Feast Day is one of my favorites because it is so different from the rest. The saint being honored is San Geronimo. Every pueblo has a saint assigned to it by the Spanish centuries ago. Several pueblos are named for their saints.
This year my family and I drove to Taos Pueblo in time to see the foot race, which begins around 8:00 AM. That meant getting up quite early for a 6:30 AM departure from Santa Fe, stopping for coffee and doughnuts as we left town, to eat in the car on our way north. We drove the Low Road to Taos, which follows the Rio Grande River and takes about an hour and a half; that is faster than the High Road to Taos, which goes through the mountains. Both are scenic.
New Mexico has been in a severe drought for years, as if Mother Nature had forgotten us. We had almost no snow last winter and almost no rain this summer. Then she made up for her neglect and gave us day after day and night after night of steady rain. Taos Pueblo, the thousand-year-old adobe pueblo, had acres of mud and large puddles to walk through. Our boots were soon covered with mud. It was very wet when we were there, beneath our umbrellas, happily watching the race for an hour and then exploring the market.
We parked in a field that had recently been mowed and was already muddy when we arrived. A shuttle took us from the road outside the field to the ancient pueblo where the foot race had already begun. It was raining. It rained steadily throughout the day while we were there, so things just got muddier.
There are two teams running in the relay race. One is the team from the northern side of the river, and one is the team from the southern side of the river. Each team consisted of grown men, teenage boys and young boys. All they wear is paint, a breechclout with a scarf on each side, and feathers. They ran barefoot; we couldn't see how far they ran.
At one end of the race is the two-story shrine where the statues of saints from the small church are lined up on the upper level to witness the race. The shrine is decorated with golden aspen boughs, which must have been found and cut high in the mountains. The aspen leaves move in the slightest breeze.
Taos women stand on the rooftops of the famous adobe apartment structure, wrapped in colorful shawls with long fringe. They encourage their team with a distinctive cry, and they move the fringe of their shawls back and forth, adding motion to color. Once the race is over, all the runners assemble by the shrine and slowly, to the beat of a Taos drum, dance their way to the other side of the river. The ladies on the rooftops throw wrapped candy down to the runners. What the runners do not catch, the pueblo children find later.
Taos Feast Day has been celebrated for many, many years. This photo was taken at Taos Feast Day in 1887. Now, photography is forbidden on Taos Feast Day.
On the other side of the plaza, a large Indian Market is set up under white tents. There were dozens of vendors and plenty of things to see. My son, Andrew, bought a beaded pen and key ring; my Spanish daughter-in-law, Maribel, chose a lovely necklace; my daughter, Melissa, found a kachina, a necklace, and some earrings that perfectly matched her necklace from my late sister's estate. Feast day prices are a bargain, relatively speaking.
We visited the small church on the plaza, where the saints were safely returned after the footrace. It is charming and lit by old fashioned gas lit chandeliers as there is no electricity there, a deliberate choice. Most Taos people have more modern homes with electricity and plumbing away from the old part of the pueblo.
Then we found the adobe home of one of my friends on the south side. We were welcomed and fed a traditional pueblo feast of red chle, green chile, bone stew, tamales, piki bread, Jello salad, bread pudding, and a large bowl of fresh strawberries, whipped cream and pound cake. We were given cut pieces of Indian pie and biscochitos when we left. It was all so delicious that it made up for the mud. By the time we got home, the mud on our boots and shoes had dried, but it was still a chore to clean four pairs of footwear.
We did not stay at Taos Pueblo for the pole climb, a popular event that takes place on the plaza late in the afternoon. After a lot of clowning around by a group of Koshari (horizontally striped Pueblo clowns), a chosen Koshari climbs a tall, smooth tree trunk erected on the plaza, perhaps thirty feet tall, to release the goodies tied to crossbeams at the top. As we left Taos, many other cars were arriving to see the pole climb spectacle. Instead, we drove back to Santa Fe on the High Road to Taos. We are grateful for the rain, but we hoped for clear weather the following week so that Andrew could paint another New Mexico landscape.
A landscape he painted last summer was taken for the walls of a new hospital in San Antonio. I miss it already, although Andrew brought me a Giclee print of it. If you like it too, you can order a print of it from Andrew on his website: www.andrewweberart.com
On this brief visit, Andrew did manage to paint a New Mexico landscape.
It is large, 30 inches by 40 inches. If you want to know the price, please let me know by replying to this newsletter.
The shop recently acquired a reproduction nativity designed years ago by a famous Santa Fe santero, Charlie Carrillo. It is set in a painted wooden nicho with hinged doors. It is not the original nativity, but this reproduction is now considered a classic. I own one myself. This one was probably made in the 1990's in the Philippines. Since the Philippines were once a colony of Spain, they seem to understand this style and subject, unlike the ones made later in China. It is in perfect condition. It can hang on the wall or stand. We have only one. The price is $650. Call right away if you want it. 505-983-2127
The shop has two new nativities by Sabinita Lopez Ortiz. She is New Mexico Spanish, now 88 years old and still carving. Her work is in the Smithsonian. We also have a nice St. Francis by Sabinita. Call for prices.
This past week was the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Festival. It is a breathtaking sight to see. After the balloons rise, many visitors drive to Santa Fe for shopping and dining. We have colorful glass ornaments that look like hot air balloons. They are blown by mouth in Poland, then silvered inside and painted by hand outside. It takes a week to complete one. The price is $48 each. They can be found on our website: www.susanschristmasshop.com A few styles reflect the southwest. One was inspired by my own vintage Navajo concho belt by Billie Goodluck. Another shows a ristra of red chile.
If you can visit Santa Fe in October, you will enjoy the weather and the colors of the season.
If you cannot manage this, I send my fond greetings wherever you may be in this wide world.
Your friend in Santa Fe,
Susan Topp Weber
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