2024 Holiday Community Day

Millicent Rogers Museum Holiday Fiesta: A time-honored Taos holiday tradition.

Saturday, December 7, 11a.m. to 3p.m.
Free Community Event

In the spirit of generations of Taos museum-goers, on December 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 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 27^th 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.

The Holiday Fiesta is not just an event, it's a community effort. Every year, our dedicated volunteers bring the event to life, and this year is no exception.

We are grateful to our community sponsors, Taos Ski Valley Foundation, Albertsons, and Taos Community Foundation, for their support. A special thank you to Tlacaelel Trujillo Fuentes for giving his time. But most of all, we thank the Taos community for embracing the Millicent Rogers Museum as your own and making the Holiday Fiesta a true celebration of our shared traditions.

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.

Located at 1504 Millicent Rogers Road in Taos, New Mexico, the Millicent Rogers Museum (a 501c3) partners with communities of the Southwest to share their stories, arts, and cultures. Museum hours are 10am to 5pm, seven days a week. From November through March the museum is closed on Wednesdays. General admission is $20, with $15 admission daily for veterans, students, and seniors (65+). Taos County residents receive free entry to the museum every Sunday. Free daily admission for children under 6, museum members, and tribal members.