For those who don’t have a sober friend to get them home, the cheapest help — it’s free — is offered by the New Mexico branch of the AAA. The AAA “Tipsy Tow” service begins tonight at 6 p.m. and continues through 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Day. During that 30-hour period, anyone who needs a ride home (users do not have to be members of AAA) can call the service for a lift for themselves and their car. The service can be used to transport the tipsy drivers and their cars up to 10 miles. Those needing to travel further than 10 miles must negotiate a separate fee with the tow-truck driver. The destination must be home or a hotel where the would-be drunken driver is a registered guest. Only one person will be transported free of charge. Other AAA services such as tire changes will trigger the normal fees for service.

Santa Fe County’s CADDy (Chauffeur and Designated Driver) program — which normally only operates Fridays and Saturdays — also will be available on New Year’s Eve. That service — which begins at 5:30 p.m. and continues through 2:30 a.m. — offers riders a reduced-rate cab ride home. The service also can be used to go to a celebration without one’s car. But all rides must begin or end at a residence. It cannot be used for bar or party hopping. The cost for the CADDy program varies based on the number of riders. Solo riders can get a cab ride anywhere in the city for $5. Riders coming from or going to a destination outside the city limits pay the flat fee from or to the city limits and the meter fee for the remaining miles. Two to three people can use the service for a $10 charge. The CADDy program cannot be used by minors. Santa Fe County DWI program coordinator Becky Beardsley said the reasoning behind that restriction is that the county does not want to encourage underage drinking.

An anonymous spokesperson for a new, teen-founded “safe ride” program said the informal organization has stepped up its word-of-mouth advertising in anticipation of New Year’s Eve. But, she said, the program is having some difficulty recruiting drivers. “It’s hard to get people to commit to staying up all night on a weekend driving drunk people around,” the teen said. “So we are trying to come up with alternatives.” She said members of the group have been talking to their peers about not drinking on New Year’s Eve so they can offer friends a sober ride home. “The idea is to go out but not party and still be able to help out your friends,” she said.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office announced this week that additional deputies will be patrolling the city and county on New Year’s Eve, looking for impaired drivers.

Nonmotorists should beware as well: According to a blurb in Tuesday’s New York Times, studies have shown more pedestrians are killed on the first day of the year than on any other day, and that many of those walkers were also intoxicated.

WHO TO CALL

AAA Tipsy Tow: Call 1-800-222-4357 to get a free ride home plus a tow for your car between 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve and 11:59 p.m. New Year’s Day.

Santa Fe County’s CADDy program: Call 995-9528 for a $5 to $10 (depending on number of people) ride anywhere in city limits between 5:30 p.m. New Year’s Eve and 2:30 a.m. New Year’s Day.

Phaedra Haywood | The New Mexican

Christmas is such a special time of the year in Santa Fe, and a nice, fresh coat of snow only adds to the charm. According to weather forecasters and the following New Mexican article, chances are good for a fresh blanket of snow!

Just after celebrating the shortest day of the year, Northern New Mexicans could well be singing, “Oh, the weather outside is frightful,” as a winter storm rolls into the area tonight.

The storm, blasting out of the Pacific Northwest and through Nevada, could make for a white Christmas in parts of New Mexico. Santa Fe has a 50 percent chance of snow through Wednesday.

Forecasters from the National Weather Service put out a winter storm watch for the northwest mountains, including the Jemez Mountains. Southwest-facing, high-elevation slopes are expected to receive the most snow, at least 8 inches or more. The storm is expected to drop snow in the north central mountains as well. AccuWeather forecasters predict 2 to 4 inches in Santa Fe.

The storm is expected to hit the northwestern part of New Mexico this morning and increase in intensity through today and Wednesday. A cold front associated with the storm will cause a big drop in temperatures through the holiday weekend.

The storm should be moving out by Wednesday afternoon, according to forecasts.

Travelers are urged to check weather conditions before heading out and to go prepared for emergencies — carry extra food, warm clothing, sleeping bags or blankets, water, medicine and flashlights.

Be sure someone knows your route and when you expect to arrive. Forecasters have predicted a wet winter because of an El Niño pattern in the equatorial Pacific. El Niño usually brings more moisture to the Southwestern United States.

By: Stacy Matlock

As seen in the movie, creative holiday decorating has its hazards. Before you blow away the neighbors with your rendition of rooftop reindeer and 500 megawatts of Christmas lights, take precautions that these seasonal “improvements” don’t lead to a whole series of home repairs.

There’s no better place for a Yuletide heliport than the otherwise-bland top of the house. But while it might be tempting to string out lights on the roof to spell a holiday message, remember the roof was put there to repel water. The last thing it needs is to be poked full of nail holes.
Limit holiday decorating to the roof’s perimeter, at the eaves and gable ends where the fascia is typically installed. These wooden trim boards offer plenty of surface area for securing light strands and other ornaments. Note that there will likely be a “drip edge” on part of the fascia, a piece of sheet metal extending down from the roof. Don’t puncture this drip edge, but install any mounting hardware about an inch below it instead.
The same advice holds true for the gutters, too: Don’t perforate them with screws or other hardware. There are plastic clips that easily snap onto the gutters to hold lights in place. As an alternative, the gutter mounting hardware may provide sufficient space for attaching light strings with a cable tie (those nylon “belts” with built-in “buckles”).
 
Remember that large surface areas (like on reindeer, snowmen and plastic elves) will act like sails when the wind hits them. When shopping for ornaments like these, check the included mounting hardware. Ornaments intended for rooftop display should have beefy mounts that are able to provide wind stability. Purchase extra hardware, like perforated metal strapping and tie wires, if additional mounting security will be needed – and if you can safely improvise. If in doubt, choose a better-made display or scale back. 

Walls are a better choice for decorating than roofs, since they’re easier to reach and less subject to weather. Attach mounting hardware to vertical surfaces, and choose locations carefully to keep water outside. Avoid placing screws or nails near joints, which could cause splitting and later lead to rotting. Wood siding shouldn’t be perforated when hanging lights; use a staple or other fastener that won’t penetrate the boards. Vinyl siding isn’t a good bet for any kind of hardware – find an alternate location for attachment. Lights can be mounted on brick siding with steel clips that just snap in place; for heavier ornaments, use plastic expansion fittings set in predrilled holes. Expansion fittings can be used on stucco siding as well, but set them in silicone caulk.
Group ornaments on the ground prior to installing them, and work out the arrangements before climbing a ladder. Adapt decorating schemes to the house, using available posts, window moldings or other trim as safe and accessible fastening points. Nylon cable ties and twist ties are handy for making temporary connections to fences, pipes or other irregular objects.
Be creative, plan for flexibility and think about convenience, too. Maybe it’s possible to permanently mount hardware (such as plastic clips or stainless steel screw eyes), and leave it in place even after removing the ornaments. That way, fasteners only have to be installed once, instead of once a year.

Happy Holidays!

No changes are planned for the annual event, which involves strolling Canyon Road, Acequia Madre and other east-side streets to see the displays of paper bags with votive candles and bonfires of pitch wood.

Motor vehicle traffic will be strictly limited in the area. All shoppers and other nonresident vehicular traffic must leave the Canyon Road area by 5 p.m. Dec. 24.

No vehicles will be allowed to enter the area after 5 p.m.

Canyon Road, East Alameda Street, Acequia Madre and all other roads in the area will be closed to automobiles at 5:30 p.m. City buses will be the only vehicles allowed on Paseo de Peralta from East Alameda Street to Old Santa Fe Trail.

Residents can pick up one parking pass per residential address in the event area at the city’s Accounts Receivable Office at City Hall, 200 Lincoln Ave., Room 124, Thursday through Dec. 23. Residents must show a document with their address, such as a driver’s license, utility bill or cable bill.

Making traditional, candle lit luminarias is easy, and can be done relatively cheeply.  The following instructions are all you need to create your own cozy Santa Fe holiday estate.

Items:

12 tea candles

12 brown paper “lunch” bags

2 lbs of sand or kitty litter

Steps:

1. Turn down the top 1 inch or so of each paper bag. This creates a sturdy rim on the luminaria.

2. Place about an inch of sand/kitty litter in the bottom of each bag. On windy nights this is essential!

3. Place the candles in the middle of each bag and light!

It’s as easy as that! 

Make sure to keep the luminarias in a safe place that doesn’t pose a fire harzard or impede a walkway. Tea candle lights normally last a few hours, so if you want longer burning candles, replace the tea candle lights with wax candles.

Enjoy!

Matt and Ryan

Sunday through Tuesdays Dec. 13, 14 and 15, and Dec. 20, 21 and 22.

St. Michael’s High School sophomore Amanda Romero was shopping for a violin as a Christmas present for herself. “I want it to look nice and sound good,” she told David Slocum of Abiquiú, who played several of his restored violins for her Sunday at his booth at the Santa Fe Farmers Market artists fair, the New Mexico Artisans Market.

Amanda, 15, and her mother, Kathy, were among dozens of shoppers and browsers who used a dreary Sunday afternoon to walk indoors among the booths of about 35 artisans at the market’s weekly Sunday show.

“It just takes one person to make your day,” said Dominic Arquero, who with his wife, Imogene, was selling her jewelry and his Native American wildlife prints. It was only the second time Dominic, originally from the Cochiti Pueblo, and Imogene, a Lakota Sioux, had shown at the Sunday market.

Alexandra Merlino, manager of the New Mexico Artisans Market at the Railyard market site, said the artist fair is a natural, community-oriented extension of the Saturday farmer’s market held at the same location. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday.

She said local artists also appreciate having an indoor venue to show their work.

“It’s a very tight bunch, and they are very dedicated to making Sundays work,” Merlino said. A goal of the Sunday event is to bring in more growers from the Saturday market.

Several of Sunday’s participants were selling caramel apples or juices made from products they had bought from the farmers.

Julia Ives and Dwain Feeman, who have an art studio in Rinconada, bring their produce to the Saturday market and their woodcarvings to the Sunday event.

“We think this is the best show on the planet,” said Ives. “I will probably buy all my Christmas gifts here.”

Elyzabeth Stow of Santa Fe, one of the market’s “artists in action,” was busy knitting and felting slippers and cloth caps for sale at her booth. She began attending the Sunday event when it started in May, stopped coming and then recently returned.

“There is some really fine quality work here,” she said of the artists’ displays.

Other artists and participants included Holly Stults with original jewelry, Stede Barber with landscape paintings and Fred Coen, a Santa Fe reflexologist and pedorthist specializing in orthopedic footwear, massage therapist Mauro Jaramillo and acoustic blues musicians Marc Malin and Mike Handler.

Merlino said the market is preparing for its annual New Mexico Artisans Market holiday fairs Sunday through Tuesdays Dec. 13, 14 and 15, and Dec. 20, 21 and 22 in the market pavilion at the Railyard, 1607 Paseo de Peralta.

More than 50 artists and crafts people are expected to participate, as well as musicians and food vendors.

Dennis J. Carroll | For The New Mexican

City workers extinguished the flames and replaced the candle-lit paper bags before Santa Claus rode in on a festively decorated vintage fire engine.

Six-year-old Eric Cool, armed with a Crayon drawing of the sword he hopes to get for Christmas, was the first to greet the man in red.

“We’re always the first ones,” Eric’s mother, Paige Cool, said. “We come down here for shopping and the tree lighting. It really gets you in the spirit.”

Hundreds attended the event, which included the singing of Christmas carols by the musical group Sol Fire.

The crowd warmed themselves with hot cocoa and cider sold by local Girl Scouts as some debated such topics as the wisdom of substituting butter for lard in bizcochito recipes.

Several citizens pitched in to help ignite the more than 1,000 farolitos adorning the square while waiting for the official tree lighting to begin.

“We usually miss it,” Santa Fe native Mario Montoya said as he helped light some farolitos near the center of the square. “This is the first time we are here when it’s actually happening.”

Brandywine Avila, a resident of Santa Fe for 32 years, said it also was her first time to witness the ceremony. Her 14-year old daughter, Alejandra, was excited to sit on Santa’s lap for the first time in years, Avila said.

The line for Santa was long, allowing one man an opportunity to coach his son in preparation for the big moment. “Tell Santa you want a laundry basket for Christmas,” he advised.

Those waiting for an audience with the official Mr. Claus had an opportunity to have their picture taken with another man in red, as well: Sombrero Santa, aka Rusty Rutherford, who wore a Santa suit adorned with dozens of small Mexican sombreros.

Several local politicians made appearances, including Santa Fe Mayor David Coss, City Councilor Miguel Chavez and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M.

But perhaps the most pampered dignitaries were several small dogs transported in the comfort of baby strollers. Freda Holden, who has attended the event every year for more than a decade, brought her toy poodles Fifi and Coco all the way from Redondo Beach, Calif. Meanwhile, native Santa Feans Robert and Patsy Montoya gave their beloved Princess (a 13-year-old Chihuahua) the royal treatment, adorning her baby carriage with battery-operated lights.

“We just came for the music,” Patsy Montoya said. “It’s such a beautiful kickoff and this year just feels so awesome.”

The four city workers stationed at each corner of the Plaza to flip the switches that lit the trees in the park must have been pretty excited, too. They started the 10-second countdown a bit prematurely, around 5:57 p.m. By 5:58 the centerpiece star-topped holiday tree, and every other tree on the Plaza, was ablaze with colored lights.

Phaedra Haywood | The New Mexican