Yesterday's Lighted Christmas Parade and Pecan Dessert Contest in Van Horn

Yesterday was Van Horn's annual holiday celebration, one of the best events in our home community and also one of the best small-town holiday events anywhere.  The community comes out in force for the annual Pecan Dessert Contest and the Lighted Christmas Parade, as well as a "Show and Sell" event downtown, and a gallery opening.

Van Horn's Lighted Christmas Parade, December 14th

One of our favorite holiday events each year is Van Horn's Lighted Christmas Parade.  Don't miss it this year, just after dark, Saturday, December 14th along Broadway, Van Horn's main street.  The parade is a charmer, with tons of participation by local families, churches and organizations!

Magoffin Home Holiday Open House

Saturday, December 14, 2013 - 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Magoffin Home State Historic Site
1120 Magoffin Ave.
El Paso, Texas

Join us for an evening of fun as the Magoffin Home comes alive with the sights and sounds of the season. Enjoy the lights and holiday decorations as you wander through the home. Tonight you can spend as long as you like in each room! Staff and volunteers will be there to answer any questions. Local choirs will entertain and refreshments are provided outside. Please dress warmly for outside activities.  $1 per person.

Click HERE to reach this event's listing on our Texas Mountain Trail web calendar.

From the Magoffin Home's website:

"The Magoffin Home, a Texas Historical Commission property, is located in downtown El Paso less than one mile from the U.S.–Mexico border. The state of Texas and the city of El Paso purchased and opened the home to the public in 1977. The home is part of the Magoffin Historic District and is one of the oldest surviving adobe structures in the area. It reflects the lives of a prominent early El Paso family.

Numerous authentic artifacts including furniture, textiles, photographs, art and documents are on display in the home. These are supplemented with period pieces to give a more complete view of what the home looked like in different time periods.

The 1.5-acre site offers a glimpse of the past as visitors explore its lovely grounds and renovated rooms. The historical significance of the home lies in its unique architecture and in the history of the Magoffins and their descendants who lived in the home for more than 100 years. A multicultural family, they were active and influential participants in their community, served during military conflicts and witnessed important historic events. Their 1875 home is a prime example of Territorial style architecture and features a center courtyard and peaceful landscape.

The Magoffin Home is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is in the National Register of Historic Places. It is El Paso’s only house museum. A gift shop is also on the grounds and plans are under way to add a visitors center and exhibit space."

Are you ready for the Pecan Dessert Contest?

Van Horn is holding a Pecan Dessert Contest at the Hotel El Capitan on the same day as their annual Lighted Christmas Parade.  This is the biggest holiday celebration in town, and is one of the best small-town celebrations you'll find in the Texas Mountains. Want to enter the contest?  Contact Brenda Hinojos at the Town of Van Horn!  Contact information is at our calendar listing for Van Horn's special holiday festivities, December 14! 

Las Posadas in Fort Davis last night

Click on any of the photos for a closer view! 
(Do you see the courthouse dome in the background?!?)



The procession leaving the Harvard hotel,
walking up the street to the Hotel Limpia.

Angels, shepherds, and kings alike enjoy cookies and cupcakes.

Last night, Fort Davis had their Las Posadas, a holiday-time procession through town, visiting hotel after hotel asking if the innkeepers would let Mary and Joseph in for the night.  A tradition popular in Mexico as well as our region, "Posadas" is Spanish for "lodging" or "accommodation." 

According to Wikipedia, "At each house, the resident responds by singing a song and Mary and Joseph are finally recognized and allowed to enter. Once the "innkeepers" let them in, the group of guests come into the home and kneel around the Nativity scene to pray. Latin American countries have continued to celebrate this holiday to this day, with very few changes to the tradition.

In some places, the final location may be a church instead of a home.


Individuals may actually play the various parts of Mary (María) and Joseph with the expectant mother riding a real donkey (burro), with attendants such as angels and shepherds acquired along the way, or the pilgrims may carry images of the holy personages instead.

The procession leaves Hotel Limpia

 Would you like to see and learn more about this tradition and Christmas in the borderlands?  Check out this video from Texas Parks and Wildlife about the Las Posadas at Fort Leaton near Presidio!

 

Make your Holiday Reservations NOW!!

Our region offers some FANTASTIC places to stay, and they often (usually) fill up long before peak travel times begin.  If you're planning a Chritmas or New Years, or even Spring Break trip....call RIGHT NOW and make your reservations!  You might try properties on our Historic Hotels list or our cycle-friendly list...these are fine folks offering great places to stay.  Local Chambers of Commerce and Visitors Centers may be able to help...don't give up, just be sure to make reservations before you head to the mountains! 

Roosevelt Stone Cottages in the Chisos Basin, Big Bend National Park

Courtyard of the Gage Hotel, Marathon

Hotel Paisano, Marfa
 

Make your holiday reservations NOW!

Snow in the desert by Van Horn's Six Mile Mountain

Holiday time is a GREAT time to visit the Texas Mountains...when we get wintry weather it is beautiful, and the snow melts off right away!  If you're interested in spending either Thanksgiving or the Christmas season with us, best to make your reservations NOW as many properties fill up during holiday time.

Need to find lodging?  A great place to start is our list of cycle-friendly hotels...while you may not be cycling on Thanksgiving or Christmas, these properties are wonderful.

You might want to come early and take advantage of some of our smalltown holiday traditions, including Van Horn's Lighted Holiday Parade set for December 1.

 

Another great holiday tradition is Thanksgiving Dinner at the Bunkhouse in the center of Big Bend Ranch State Park, at Sauceda Ranch.  Park staff create a wonderful, relaxed dinner with all the trimmings.

 Here's the notice from the park:

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 22, 2012

>>> Back by Popular Demand <<<

How About a Ranch Thanksgiving with Turkey (Of Course) and Ham

All the Trimmings – Some Roped-up with a Cowboy Twist

Get away from Town, the Noise, the Cars, the People

Join us to give Thanks that there is still a place that is Quiet, Remote, Wild, and Scenic

All rolled into one and that’s Big Bend Ranch State Park

Come Early and Stay Late to Enjoy the Park

Thanksgiving Dinner Served 1:00 to 2:00

$15.00 per Person, including Entrance Fee

Please Reserve and Pay Up for Your Slot at the Table

So we will Know how much Grub to Lay In

(There’s No Grocery Store Just Down the Street)

For Reservations and Payment

Call the Park at 432.358.4444

Beginning on October 29^th and closing on Monday, November 12^th

Going back to 1875: Magoffin Home

The beautiful adobe Magoffin Home in El Paso is a great place to get a sense of early city life in our region.  As our entry on the Texas Mountain Trail website reads:

"The 1.5-acre site offers a glimpse of the past as visitors explore its lovely grounds and renovated rooms. The historical significance of the home lies in its unique architecture and in the history of the Magoffins and their descendants who lived in the home for more than 100 years. A multicultural family, they were active and influential participants in their community, served during military conflicts and witnessed important historic events. Their home is a prime example of Territorial style architecture and features a center courtyard and peaceful landscape. Numerous authentic artifacts including furniture, textiles, photographs, art and documents are on display in the home. These are supplemented with period pieces to give a more complete view of what the home looked like in different time periods."

The holiday season can be a great time to visit the Magoffin Home.  Right now, they're getting ready for their annual candlelight tours!  Click here for more information on those!

From our event listing:  "Enjoy this special living history event and tour the Magoffin Home by candlelight. Step back in time and experience what life may have been like in 1895. Meet Joseph and Octavia Magoffin, their children and extended family as they prepare for a life changing event! After your tour, enjoy refreshments and hear tales of spirits. This is a night you won’t forget!
Tickets are limited and go on sale October 2nd at the Magoffin Home. The event is sponsored by the Casa Magoffin Compañeros. All proceeds go to support the preservation of the Home."

A special surprise for your Valentine!

Here's a special idea for your sweetie for Valentines Day: Get a Valentine, Texas postmark on your card!

Each year, the children of Valentine compete to design the postmark. Prepare your Valentine card addressed to recipient with postage and put into a second envelope addressed with postage to “postmaster, Valentine, Texas 79854"

Last year's postmark is pictured here!

Holidays at Magoffin Home State Historic Site

The Magoffin Home State Historic Site is holding a holiday open house on December 4th, in El Paso.
More about this fun event:  "

Join us for an evening of fun as the Magoffin Home comes alive with the sights and sounds of the season. Enjoy the lights and holiday decorations as you wander through the Home. The Riverside Middle School Chamber Choir will be entertaining guests and seven lighted trees will be gleaming in the moonlight. Meet for refreshments in the courtyard. “The Home is especially lovely during this time of the year and a holiday visit has become a tradition for many El Pasoans,” said site manager, Leslie Bergloff. Visitors will enjoy being able to walk through the rooms without a formal tour guide and spend as long as they like in each area. Warm clothing is suggested for the outdoor activities. Adults $4; Children are free. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Please call 533.5147 for more information or see http://www.visitmagoffinhome.com/  

From their website:  "A striking adobe structure, the Magoffin Home State Historic Site explores the stories of a multicultural family who influenced the development of the Southwest borderlands. Magoffin family members actively participated in U.S. expansion and settlement, trade on the Santa Fe–Chihuahua Trail, Civil War turmoil, military service and U.S.–Mexico relations. The 1875 home is a prime example of Territorial style architecture and features a center courtyard and peaceful landscape. Explore the home’s authentic art and furnishings reflecting the daily lives of this prominent El Paso family."