Happy Tuesday, Santa Fe. In today’s edition: Nexus Health closure, carols by candlelight, a holiday train ride, and more.

Let’s get to it — Cait Baker

📰 In the news

New path for young vocalists: National Youth Opera Academy with Santa Fe Opera’s Young Voices announced a summer program for high school singers, July 29 to Aug. 8, 2026 in Santa Fe. Applications are open — see how and when to apply.

Community voices shock and worry: Santa Fe’s Nexus Health will close on January 30, 2026, intensifying provider shortages as patients scramble to transfer care amid nursing vacancies and limited options — read the full story.

Stories behind the numbers: Teach Plus New Mexico’s Economic Mobility Summit at Santa Fe Community College convened students, educators, and policymakers to strengthen college and career readiness and tackle New Mexico’s persistent brain drain — read the full story.

Protect your nest egg: Savvy investors are turning to gold amidst today’s inflation, national debt, and market uncertainty for a reason. It holds its value when everything else feels shaky. Case in point: it’s up ~62% since January. If you’re curious about adding it and other precious metals to your portfolio, American Hartford has a super helpful guide that covers everything you need to know. It’s free, and definitely worth a read — check it out here.

Compare rates for free: The national average for car insurance is around $175 per month. Paying more than that? Same, so I did some shopping around and ended up cutting my premium in half. If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too — here’s the comparison tool I used.

Highlights this week

• Enjoy lively afternoon music from Curry Springer
• Explore hands-on experiments during Science Saturday
• Stroll among farolitos with live music
• Connect with locals at festive winter social
• Craft unique ornaments in stained glass
• This pet insurance plan reimburses up to 90%
• A home warranty that actually pays is 30% off

🫶 We got your back

Reframing who art serves: “Truths Be Told” at Santa Fe’s Museum of International Folk Art flips the script on folk art, presenting celebrated contemporary artists like Yinka Shonibare, the Gee’s Bend quilters, and Indigenous makers through a community-first lens. The show argues folk is about cultural connection, not credentials, and runs through 2027. Get all the details.

From idea to prototype: Santa Fe Community College will offer a free, hands-on Intro to Digital Design and FDM 3D Printing course Jan. 12 to 30, 2026, at the SFCC Higher Education Center. Classes meet 5 to 7 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Open to ages 12 and up, students will design in Tinkercad and use FDM printers. Get dates and enrollment info.

Arthouse fix, right here: Queue feeling stale? Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe refreshes it with first-run indies, sharp retrospectives (think Kurosawa), and two intimate screens featuring laser projection and Dolby sound. Ideal for a midweek reset that still feels like an outing.

Hear me out: My mom’s been asking people to repeat themselves 5,281 times too many for years. She always avoided hearing aids like the plague — they’re clunky, obvious, expensive, not really worth it. I always thought “she’s not wrong” until I saw these new invisible hearing aids going viral. In the same boat? Now’s a great time to check them out before unused health benefits expire on the 31st.

Thinning hair? Same: I’ve been shedding a lot, and recently noticed my ponytail feeling thinner. After way too much panic-Googling, I discovered Keranique’s hair regrowth system. Everything with them is surprisingly easy: no quizzes, no pills, no choosing between dozens of products. Just grab the kit and follow the instructions. The best part? It’s $75 off right now + you’ll get your money back if you don’t love the results.

📆 Around town this week

All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirely outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.

This week

🎨 Stained Glass Art Experience @ TLC Stained Glass – Studio & Gallery | Tuesday (12/16) at 1:00pm – Come make a stained glass suncatcher you’ll want to hang, pick a design, choose from gorgeous glass, and learn Tiffany-era techniques to cut, shape, and bind it together. It’s craft time where breaking things is encouraged, tools are sharp, and you leave with a keepsake.

🕯️ Carols & Lullabies: Luminaria @ Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi | Tuesday (12/16) at 7:00pm – Nothing beats carols by candlelight when the Desert Chorale fills the room with that warm, golden glow. Twenty-four pros and a guest pianist bring beloved tunes, fresh finds, and actual harmony, not the grocery-aisle variety. Farolitos, goosebumps, and hometown holiday magic.

🚂 Pablo’s Holiday Express @ Sky Railway | Thursday (12/18) at 12:00pm – Lamy Depot is turning into a winter wonderland, with a one-hour train ride, live music, and Mrs. Claus sharing how Santa and Pablito saved Christmas in New Mexico. Bring the kids or grandkids, sip cocoa, and visit Santa, because holidays on rails beat mall traffic.

💪 Kinesis – A Strength & Conditioning Class @ Santa Fe Campus, Student Activities Center | Friday (12/19) at 7:20am – Start your morning with a fast, focused workout built on functional movement, strength, and just enough sweat to make you feel unstoppable. This class mixes lifting, bodyweight work, and cardio in a way that’s challenging but totally beginner-friendly. Show up for the fitness, stay for the boost in confidence and feel-good momentum.

🧵 Artist pop-up: Scott Horn | Heirloom Leatherwork @ Historic Santa Fe Foundation | Friday (12/19) at 2:00pm – If holiday shopping needs an upgrade from scented candles, swing by El Zaguán for Scott Horn’s leather pop-up. Full-grain, geometric, and cleverly sculpted, his eco-friendly pieces nod to his grandfather’s tools, with a theatre-kid wink, and they’re giftable, heirloom-worthy, and useful.

This weekend

🎭 Andrea Chénier @ Lensic Performing Arts Center | Saturday (12/20) at 11:00am – Trade Netflix for a little guillotine-era drama. Giordano’s Andrea Chénier roars to life with tenor Piotr Beczała as the doomed poet, all sweeping arias, intrigue, and revolutionary chaos. Dress up, savor the heartbreak, then brag about your cultural fiber at brunch.

🍺 New Mexico Ale Trail @ Sky Railway | Saturday (12/20) at 1:30pm – Think you know New Mexico beer? Let the train do the driving as you sip local brews, snag a complimentary pint, and enjoy live music from an enclosed car, with desert views rolling by. Departs and returns to the Santa Fe Depot.

🎼 Bach Festival: A Baroque Christmas @ New Mexico Museum of Art | Saturday (12/20) at 4:00pm – Trade mall carols for the real deal with a Baroque Christmas packed with Handel’s Queen of Sheba and Silete Venti, Telemann’s viola spotlight, and Bach’s violin and oboe fireworks. Elegant, joyful, slightly nerdy in the best way, then home in time for cocoa.

☀️ Solstice with The Tynker Hafla Band & Willa @ Paradiso Santa Fe | Saturday (12/20) at 7:30pm – On solstice-eve, trade your SAD lamp for The Tynker Hafla Band with Willa, gorgeous Middle Eastern and Turkish tunes, and a swirl of dance performances. Tickets are $25, and the raffle might finally solve your last-minute gift scramble.

🌊 The Sea @ Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe | Sunday (12/21) at 3:00pm – This award-winning drama follows a Palestinian boy determined to reach the ocean and a father racing against fear and borders to find him. Their parallel journeys unravel with quiet tension and tender humanity, reminding us how far we’ll go for dreams—and for each other. A gripping, emotional standout of the Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

🎶 Live music & entertainment

• 12/17 Swing Shift Holiday Concert @ Santa Fe Community College – 7 pm
• 12/17 The Klezmatics: Happy Joyous Hanukkah @ Lensic Performing Arts Center – 7:30 pm
• 12/17 How The Grouch Stole Christmas @ Meow Wolf – 8 pm
• 12/18 Entreflamenco Christmas Season 2025 @ El Flamenco Cabaret – 6:15 pm
• 12/18 Demetri Martin: The Quick Draw Tour @ Lensic Performing Arts Center – 7:30 pm
• 12/18 Bach Festival: Goldberg Variations @ New Mexico Museum of Art – 7:30 pm
• 12/19 Strangers From Afar @ Beer Creek Brewing – 5 pm
• 12/21 Sgt. Splendor and more @ The Kitchen Sink – 7 pm