My New Mexican Christmas (Lots of Pics)
Although I was raised on the Great Lakes of Michigan, DH & I have lived out here in New{{gwi:807}} Mexico since we were married many years ago. But, as beautiful as they can be, I can still see the "foreignness" of our Christmases here and thought that you might enjoy seeing some of it.
New Mexico is a tri-cultural state, heavily influenced equally by Hispanic, Native American and Western/Cowboy cultures. And, the lines between them blur together frequently . . . which you get used to when you live here. We New Mexicans also love a lot of Oriental rugs and pieces you might pick up on travels to the Middle East. Seriously (LOL).
Anyhoo, here's the view out back:
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and out front, in one direction:
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Our walled garden, which keeps out the deer{{gwi:807}}, rabbits and coyote. I have tiny white lights strung through the trees out there:
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Our front door:
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Our living room, with our main family tree:
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The mantel in there once the reindeer is wired onto it so that it won't fall off onto our brick floor. I also decided to take the 2 paintings that flank the center one down, as they're more summery and looked a bit odd to me with our Christmas{{gwi:807}} decs:
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In a corner of the room, my beloved Western art chair gets a few rustic Christmas throw pillows. The sheepskin stays on it year round.
Next to it, our bookcase gets a greenery swag and a big pine cone. It's hard to decorate with this stuff!
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Still in the living room, but on the other side is our Syrian inlaid game table (I told you so-LOL!), closed up and decorated for the holidays{{gwi:807}}. The chairs are antiques, hand carved here in New Mexico. I think they look very good together:
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We also have 3 other fireplaces, all of which are NM kivas. I like them a lot, but they're a PIA to decorate, as their mantels are curved and very narrow, while their chimneys are very tall. This is the kiva in our family room. (BTW, they don't all come painted. I just painted the design on this one about a year after we had this place built.)
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My little tree in there has a hand-carved angel on it:
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The main foyer has all NM art,
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. . . but I still put up the traditional Christmas village I made in my Western hutch there. I also sewed the crewel art above it, both back before I got married and moved out here,
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The guest room has most of my collection of horse art in it, with this being the centerpiece (by wildlife photographer Phil Sonier) that everything is decorated around:
Sooo, here is my one theme tree, a Western tree for this guest room:
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On the nightstand's lamp in there, I have a handmade shade we bought at a gallery in Taos. The old silver bolo tie is one of several I use around the house to decorate things. They stay on all year.
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And the most comfortable reading chair in the world, also in our guest room. Love this chair! The doll, though, is there just for the holidays (LOL).
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In our dining room, I decorate the wine cab (and elsewhere, too) with some of our collection of New Mexican Christmas books. These here are a few written by New Mexican author, Rudolfo Anaya, and illustrated by NM artist, Edward Gonzales. I love both of their work!
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Sooo, this is where I've been cocooning these past two days. Relaxing and recuperating after our big Christmas Day{{gwi:807}} party here. Thanks for taking a peek at my home here in the mountains of New Mexico. The decorations are probably a lot different than what you're used to, but the Christmas Spirit{{gwi:807}} is still the same. Feliz Navidad!
Lynn
This post was edited by lynninnewmexico on Fri, Dec 27, 13 at 20:11
Comments (35)
bpath
10 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
bestyears
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (13)My portable green houses are on a screened in back porch and they get alot of afternoon sun.Lots of humidity/condensation builds up in them so they sprout things pretty well.You can get them at Walmart.com for $34 and if you have them shipped to your local walmart,shipping is free.Another wser showed hers a while back for $39 and when I checked they had been marked down,smile..so I got 2.I mist them ever so often to keep them happy.I am starting to plant out this week.I have alot of huge sprouts-didn't show all of them.The ones I posted was castor bean.Love the roots on wsd sprouts,then they take off.Most of mine have designated spots but for the ones I am unfimiliar with,will go into a holding bed.When I see how they look they will get moved or composted. I feel so sorry for those of you that live up north and are still having snow and cold weather.We have snow maybe one day a year and that is plenty for us.I can not tolerate cold weather so am happy as a lark down here in warm Ga.It is in 70s,one day of 80 and nights in 50-60s.We will get rain later this week but it will stay warm,so thats wonderful.I want to see photos of all your babies when they pop up and can't wait for summer-June-July photos of all the blooms.This is my 3rd yr. to ws and it gets better each year. moonphase...See MoreDo my curtains clash with my proposed BS? lots of pics
Comments (15)Hello Everyone, No one shares my vision that the white would work, that doean't surprise me. However when I look at the third pic above (the pic of the eat-in dining area, there is a sample of white glass tiles on the counter. I think it looks great! It looks so bright and fresh!) I'm not into neutral, I like contrast and I like color. My cabs are obviously traditional, but my syle is moving more modern. I'm trying to take my traditional looking kitchen and move it more modern. buffetgirl - I really don't like brown! LOL! I am trying to work with a situation where "If I knew then, what I know now", I'd do things differently. I've thought about brown instead of black in the backsplash and it doesn't do anything for me, I don't want more brown, I want less brown. Sherrman - while others like it, I don't. It is floor tile and not designed by me. The tile installer picked it and I went with it at the time. Also, due to the new granite, there is about a 1" gap between them. Annz - not changing any of the big stuff, cabs, floors etc. Just can't cost justify it. House is only 5 years old, We built it. We have about 39 sq feet of backsplash to do, Dh and I are discussing the balance issue that you mention. Yes, I want to make sure that it will look good. Thanks for bringing it up! Busybee3 - all green? Well...I thought about that...but just feel that it would be too much green. My walls are green, my countertop on the island is green...I just thought an all green backsplash would just be too much green. Plus I really like the idea of bringing over some white to brighten and de-neutralize the space. Auntjen - Oh...I am so happy that you think it will work!! I don't feel so alone! LOL!! Thank you all for your comments and suggestions, it helps me a lot. I appreciate it....See MoreMy new living room-Before and After/Lots of Pics
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cat_mom
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10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoDeedee:Thank you. Here's pic of my walled garden taken in the Summer at night with the tree lights on. We love it out there in the evenings when the weather is warmer. The tree in the pic is my Fraser's Photinia. Behind me and not in this pic is the Honey Locust by the fountain and a Japanese Maple, also with lights in them.
Bpathome: yes, it is a shaman, made by a NM artist. Love his work! I never noticed it until you mentioned it but, yes, he does look like he's announcing the Good News. I like that thought!
Thank you so much for your kind words Bestyears, Tryingtodecorate, Cat mom, Justgotabme, Irish2, Outsideplaying, Holly-Kay, TheFoxesPad, Mitchdesi, and Countryatheart.,
Alisande: I'll cherish that compliment!
Ice/Svava: thank you. You too, have a lovely and differently decorated home that I always enjoy seeing.
Dedtired: that's something I've never done. Someday maybe I can with a fun photo of it.
Gsciencechick: thanks! II actually bought them at a local consignment shop for $20 each about ten years ago. What a huge find for me that was!
Kswl: you sound like you're a writer . . . or should be. You have a lovely, eloquent way of expressing yourself. Thank you so much.
Autismom: out here, this look can be had for much, much less than you think. We are a state filled to the brim with artists and consignment shops. Thus, original art can be had for less than most of you would pay for a framed print elsewhere.
Yayagal: thank you! I thought the same thing the first time I saw it, too . . . a Georgia O'Keefe chair (LOL)! It was the grand prize at a big NM art show DH & I attended at least ten years and I won it! BTW, you sound like someone I'd have such fun shopping with. Wish you lived close by!
Maire: as much as I love my state, the searing heat of August is NOT the best time to enjoy New Mexico. October and the Christmas holiday time, IMO, are the most beautiful.
Well, again, thanks for taking the time to look.
Lynnbusybee3
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