The 27th Holiday Fiesta Community Day at the Millicent Rogers Museum! Free activities and admission.

• Santa Visit
• Fiesta Court Visit
• Swooning Holiday Music by Westin Lee McDowell of Santa Fe
• Ojos de Dios
• Hanukkah games
• Tin Santa Ornaments
• Free cocoa & cookies
• Basketry with Basket Bob
• Traditional Community Wish Tree
• Holiday Paper Craft with papel picado artist, Tiacaelel Fuentes
• Janet Boccelli latte art and Taos Pueblo holiday sweets available to purchase

In the spirit of generations of Taos museum-goers, the community is invited to gather, create, and enjoy the warmth of the season throughout the museum galleries, where tables of holiday arts and crafts projects and other seasonal entertainment will delight the child in us all.

This will be the 27th Holiday Fiesta Community Day. The free, popular event is dedicated to family enjoyment and, along with our community, has adapted to changes over the years. Even during the pandemic, MRM volunteers handed out holiday art project kits in a drive-through version of this event. The holiday fiesta has always included elements of music, cultural holiday arts, and community members sharing joyful traditions.

Over the decades, the event has featured youth performances, face painting, flower fairy ornament making, a wish tree so everyone can express their Christmas wish, God’s Eye ornaments, card creating, retablo painting, Hanukkah crafts and games, Santa, and the town of Taos Fiesta Royalty. Though some of the highlights have changed, MRM continues to welcome our community in seasonal celebration on the second Saturday in December.

“Holiday Fiesta is a cornerstone event in the Taos community,” said Karen Chertok, MRM director of education. It’s a gathering place where folks meet and visit, reminiscing while at the same time creating new memories. Many students over the last few years (and adults!) have shared fond memories of coming to the museum to make holiday art projects. For 2024, we have added a food component. There will be free cocoa and cookies on the portal, along with Latte artist Janet Boccelli selling her festive frothings and a Taos Pueblo baked goods vendor.

Also new this year, musician Westin Lee McDowell will offer up swoonin’ holiday tunes and joyful sounds aplenty from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Westin, whose mother was a Spanish dancer and father a musician and poet, makes his home in Santa Fe and is eager to bring his song to Taos this season. Adding to the mix of ornaments, games, and arts mentioned above, the museum welcomes papel picado artist Tlacaelel Trujillo y Fuentes, who is planning a festive art activity for kids.

As the children paint, glue, smile, and laugh, they may or may not notice the art on the museum’s walls, and that’s okay. “The Holiday Fiesta is not just about the art; it’s about home and community. We want our families to feel at home here,” Chertok said. “MRM is a museum that validates and celebrates the importance of local cultural stories. The powerful voice of a second grader once told me, ‘It’s just like at home!’ when they rounded the corner into the retablo gallery.” MRM invites you to come and experience this sense of belonging and fun on December 7 at the Holiday Fiesta.