A busy week for seasonal fun

It’s here. Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us, and with it comes a profusion of festivals, bazaars and markets, providing everything you need to fulfill your convivial consumer urges. Along with those come the joyful events and spirited performances to put you in the festive mood. It’s a mixed bag, but if you can’t find something to satisfy your needs, you’re just not trying. What follows is an abbreviated breakdown of this week’s happenings throughout Las Cruces.

It all starts with the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Mesilla Plaza, at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, highlighted by hundreds of luminarias lining the surrounding streets, walkways, and buildings. For more information, call 575-524-3262. The La Casa Holiday Bazaar kicks off Friday, too, with a variety of handmade gifts, edibles and a visit with Santa Claus. The fun starts at 4:30 p.m. at the Las Cruces Convention Center, then continues through Saturday and Sunday. More information can be found at LaCasaInc.org.

Also starting on Friday are A Children’s Theatre of the Mesilla Valley’s two-day production of Season of Light at the Rio Grande Theatre. Friday night’s show begins at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday’s performance begins at 2 p.m. Get details by calling 575-571-1413. Down the street, at the Black Box Theatre, No Strings Theatre Company presents an adaptation of that old chestnut, A Christmas Carol. The play runs Dec. 6-22, with evening shows at 8 p.m. and afternoon performances at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call 575-523-1223.

The city of Las Cruces does its own Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony from 6-8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, at Plaza de Las Cruces, complete with live music, food trucks and family activities. Directly following the ceremony, at 8 p.m., the Rio Grande Theatre will screen “A Muppet Christmas Carol.”  For details, call 575-541-2550. For the musically inclined, the 2024 edition of the Las Cruces Trombone Christmas will be presented at 7 p.m., Saturday evening, at Atkinson Recital Hall on the NMSU Campus. For information, call 575-646-2421.

Want more music? Two more opportunities present themselves this week. On Sunday, Dec. 8, the Mesilla Valley Concert Band presents Sounds of the Season, 3 p.m. at the Atkinson Recital Hall on campus. For info visit MesillaValleyConcertBand.org. Then, on Thursday, Dec. 12, the Las Cruces Ukes present their annual holiday concert at 6 p.m. in the Las Cruces Village Social Center Auditorium, at the former Good Samaritan Society. More information can be found at LasCrucesUkes.com. You can expect lots of holiday-themed favorites at both, along with a few unique entries just to mix things up.

And, for the traditionalists, the Village of Tortugas presents the Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta, Dec. 10-12, with live music, food and fun for the entire family, including the not-to-be-missed turtle races. Because it is a religious celebration, there are also candlelight processions on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the annual pilgrimage to Tortugas Mountain at 6 a.m. on Thursday. For more information, call 575-526-8171.