The air is crisp, the evenings are chilly, and art is everywhere on display. Ah, Santa Fe in the wintertime! In celebration of the winter season and the
Christmas Eve in Santa Fe was a comparatively silent night.
Whatâs usually an evening of caroling, with thousands of people and thousands of farolitos lining the historic Canyon Road, was instead a line of cars driving past shuttered art galleries and numerous other closed shops without candlelight.
Long stretches of the road were not lined by farolitos despite the best efforts of the city and the Canyon Road Merchants Association to spread holiday spirit in an otherwise dispiriting year.
Despite that, a long line of cars waited along Paseo de Peralta to get onto Canyon Road after the city blocked side streets to funnel everyone along the larger thoroughfare.
By Susan Montoya Bryan and Cedar Attanasio, Associated Press
Around 15,000 residents previously ineligible for pandemic stimulus checks have started receiving payments from the state. The group includes immigrants in the country without work authorization.
Officials with the New Mexico Human Services Department said the $465 relief payments began arriving this week via direct deposit or checks.
The Legislature allocated $5 million to the fund for those who hadn t received federal payments in April. Agency officials say they were able to identify an additional $2 million on top of that.
Drawing from unspent federal relief funds, New Mexico s relief package was part of a $330 million appropriation that included additional money for New Mexicans already on unemployment or whose benefits had run out. Funding also was earmarked for more COVID-19 testing and support for food banks.
Rev up your engines: This yearâs Canyon Road Farolito Walk on Christmas Eve will be tailored for cruising, not strolling.
City officials said the change will allow spectators to enjoy the decades-old holiday tradition â in which businesses and residents on Canyon Road and surrounding streets light thousands of farolitos â while maintaining pandemic-safe practices in the comfort of their vehicles.
âEveryone is looking for creative ways to keep these traditions alive,â said Kristine Mihelcic, the cityâs constituent and council services director.
The eventâs shift to a drive-thru viewing comes as New Mexico officials continue to ban large public gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.