Culture is fascinating, isn’t it? I think a big part of what I love about reading is how we can travel anywhere in the world just by picking up a book. And at each stop in our travels, we learn something new and interesting about the culture, the people, or traditions of a place.
I especially love reading Christmas stories. It’s so fun to explore world traditions while also reading about new love or friends discovering new feelings. Some days it’s nice to be immersed in a stereotypical small-town white Christmas story with the vintage red truck and a flannel-wearing hero and h
is neatly trimmed beard while our big-city heroine rethinks her executive boyfriend and decides to stay and help save the local food pantry. But other days, nothing will do but an escape to some unexplored-but-real locale. An adventure with an unconventional hero and heroine someplace we’ve never been.
Being a lifelong reader and virtual world traveler is probably why I enjoy describing local traditions in my own books so much. As much as I love discovering new places, I treasure my role as virtual tour-guide to my beloved home, Albuquerque, New Mexico. New Mexico is a culturally rich environment with a ton of traditions all year through, especially at Christmas.
So far, I’ve written three Christmas novellas, one standalone and two as part of collections. In each, it’s been my pleasure to share such special holiday events as the Old Town stroll and the River of Lights. The Christmas table is often filled with authentic New Mexican dishes such as enchiladas, posole, tamales, and biscochitos. There’s a Twinkle Light parade and a tumbleweed snowman that stands tall by the freeway every year. Other cities have their own special traditions and tourist lures, but none as dear to my heart as the lighting of luminarias on Christmas Eve. 
Statewide through the month of December, horizontal surfaces everywhere are covered in lanterns made from plain paper bags filled with sand and a single candle. Rooftops, the tops of walls, along sidewalks, all over. Then on Christmas Eve, the candles are lit and a vigil begins. I could wax poetic on the magic and wonder of our luminaria tours for another five hundred words or more. Instead, I’ll leave you with a few pictures and an invitation to come visit New Mexico in my Christmas stories, where you can visualize the wonder and beauty I see and enjoy with my family every year. 
And if you live or have visited somewhere enchanting for the holidays, I’d love to read about it in the comments below! Even if the visit happened literarily, tell me about it! I’ll draw two names from the comments randomly for a copy of Love, Laughter, and Luminarias.
Be blessed wherever you spend this holiday season. May the Lord bless you and keep you, and may your own traditions increase the hope and joy of the season for you and the ones you love!
I too, live vicariously through books. We don’t do any traveling this time of year, but one place I’d love to visit Leavenworth, WA for Christmas. It’s an Austrian themed (German) town at the foot of the Cascade Mountains in WA and they really go all out to decorate for various holidays. I’ve only seen pictures of it all dressed up in Christmas finery and I would love to visit for real! Though it takes several hours from where I live in Oregon and I’m not a fan of driving in snow over the mountain like that.
I love seeing all the pictures you’ve shared with us! Especially the tumbleweed snowman 🙂
That snowman is pretty hilarious. I call my city “Albu-quirky” sometimes, because it totally is. Leavenworth, WA sounds amazing! I’m not a fan of driving in snow, either, but I imagine it would be worth it just once!
Merry Christmas, Jaycee!
I loved my recent virtual trip to Tinsel, Vermont in the Royally Yours collection! I live in a small town in Vermont and I absolutely loved seeing my home state featured in such a fabulous collection!
I also absolutely loved my virtual visit to Albuquerque in A Splash of Love! I have copies of Love, Laughter, and Luminarias, and More Than Enough and I’m so excited to read them this month! ❤️
Aw, yay! That makes me smile. I also enjoyed the Royally Yours collection. Such a fun, fictional town! I’m glad you’re getting to virtually visit my city. Hope you enjoy!
I don’t usually go anywhere to see other traditions, but I did take a bus trip to the Christkindle Market in Chicago a few years ago. It was amazing. I live between 2 small towns and both have town tree lightings. And both have beautiful lights downtown.
I love small town tree/light displays! I keep hearing about this market in Chicago. It’s now on my someday list!
There is a big German Christmas market in downtown Chicago near where the big tree is lit. We went one year when our daughter lived there. I about froze my feet off. We had come from Florida, and I wasn’t used to the cold.
Hi Merrillee! I enjoy visiting the Chicago Christmas Market. Very authentic with its German vendors. For years we took our language classes there. With Lake Michigan being only a few blocks away the wind chill in December is frigid.
Whoa! I’ve never been to Chicago, but have heard about that event. Someday I’d love to go… if I could get past the cold! Lol!
I find enchantment in my home with all my decorations and lights. I’m not a world traveler but I have been many places vicariously through books. Merry Christmas 🎁🎄
And a very Merry Christmas to you. This is why we love books, right?!
I got a chance to visit my husband’s grandparents more than a decade ago, and they took us to Frankenmuth, Michigan, which is a whole town dedicated to Christmas!
Hi Lila! As a Michigander, I love visiting Frankenmuth for their famous chicken at Zenders. The architecture in Frankenmuth is very German as are the shops. Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland is a retail store in Frankenmuth, Michigan that promotes itself as the “World’s Largest Christmas Store”. Designed with an Alpine architecture and operating year-round, the building is 7.35 acres in size with landscaped grounds covering 27 acres and has a replica of the Silent Night Chapel. The walk way to the chapel has Silent Night in many languages. Great place to visit any time of year, especially if one wants to experience Christmas in a summer climate.
Lila— A whole town dedicated to Christmas sounds amazing!
Renate— WOW, what great details! Thank you!
We have a decorated boat parade, the Bible on parade, a regular Christmas parade, and our local park has Space Coast Lights that you can drive through to see all of the decorations. There’s even a street in Satellite Beach that every house decorates and participates in, and they’ll even have food!! People will go there from miles away to see the decorations.
That all sounds amazing! Where is Satellite Beach?
On the Space Coast of Florida, Brevard County. Right on A1A, on the barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River. South of Daytona Beach.
Hey everyone! I’m substitute teaching today, so I’ll check back on my lunch break to reply to your comments. Thank you for stopping by!
I love the tumbleweed snowman. So cool! Two years I spent Christmas in Florida visiting family and one beach town I visited had a neat giant surfing snowman. That was the first Christmas I spent outside the midwest and it was fun, but kind of strange, to be seeing Christmas lights and decorations while it was warm out.
Haha! I can imagine. I lived in Nevada as a girl, and thought snow was mythical like unicorns until I was eight. It’s odd to contemplate those below the equator, experiencing summer when it’s so cold here in the northern hemisphere!
I miss Luminarias. When we moved to Virginia from New Mexico, we tried to keep the tradition alive, but it freaked out the neighbors. They were convinced we were going to burn down the neighborhood.
Being close to DC, we will sometimes truck downtown and see the National Christmas Tree and the state trees on the Mall, but otherwise there aren’t really any local traditions that aren’t the same as everywhere else.
I can imagine the neighbors! Lol! Did you see that the National Christmas tree came from New Mexico this year? Someday I’d like to visit DC and explore all of the history. I bet the state trees on the mall are lovely!
I did see that!
The state trees are fun – different each year as well so there’s incentive to go more often (and then there’s the traffic, which is an incentive not to 🙂 )
A couple of years ago the national Christmas tree came from northeast Washington State. My brother had his picture taken near the tree before they cut it.
I don’t live anywhere enchanting or been anywhere enchanting.
I’m sure there are intriguing traditions wherever you are, even in some small way. And if not, thank heaven for books, right?!
Hi Jaycee! As a retired World Language teacher and German American, I enjoy arm chair travel through book and exploring Christmas Around the World. In the United States we are blessed to be able to experience other cultures. Chicago Museum of Industry yearly has Christmas Trees from Around the World. Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan does the same. These exhibits are festive and interesting to see trees decorated with different materials. Last year we saw the Festival of Trees at the Glick Indiana History Center. This year the Dutchman Essenhaus in Middlebury, Indiana had 23 different decorated trees. My favorite was a tree in their Quilt Shop. All the ornaments were made on an embroidery machine. I also enjoy visiting Christkindlmarkets – Christmas Markets. For many years visited the Chicago Christkindlmarkt with vendors from around the world. The best is authentic German food – potato pancakes, brats, and mulled wine served in commemorative mugs. Last year visited the Carmel, Indiana Christkindlmarket with its 30 foot luminated pyramid. Spectacular. No need to include me in the giveaway. Love, Laughter, and Luminarias is in my to read pile. Best wishes.
That sounds wonderful. Much of my ancestry is German, but sadly not a lot of culture has been passed down through the years. I do have a 100 year old Pfeffernüsse recipe that I make most years, from my immigrant great grandmother. 🙂
here in my town we always have Carols in the Square which id put on the local churches and is mostly carols (community carols) in candlelight. Normally has some food and fun before the main event which starts around 8 when its getting a little darker by the end its in candlelight. We normally have a play or drama of the Christmas story and one of the ministers will give a short message. Also have the town choir and the school combined choir. I use to love going but now cos I have a major issue with noise I can’t handle the noise now.
Our church also goes caroling to the local nursing homes (2) and then to some of our older members. Its always a really nice night.
That sounds like what I used to do with my church as a little girl in Nevada! Wonderful memories, I’m sure.