Last December, Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado went first. It lit its tree on Friday, December 5, 2025, and Bishop's Lodge lit its farolito tree a week later, on Friday, December 12. This year the order is reversed. The Bishop's Lodge holiday page, updated this October, lists the farolito lighting for Friday, December 4. Four Seasons has scheduled its tree lighting for Friday, December 11, 2026. The two evenings are still a week apart, but now the Bishop's Lodge lighting opens December in Tesuque.
Those two Fridays now shape the whole season. The weeks around them fill in on their own schedule, starting with a feast day in mid-November and ending with a New Year's Day brunch.
The first Friday, at Bishop's Lodge
The Farolito Tree Lighting & Holiday Market starts in the afternoon. The Artisan Christmas Market, which includes a Puppy Patch with Española Humane, runs from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 4, and the farolito tree is lit at 6:00 p.m. The resort's event page lists leather tooling, silversmithing, chocolates and illuminated fragrance among the makers' work. It also says shoppers can watch some artisans at work. The ceremony comes with live music, seasonal drinks and savory bites. The resort suggests dinner at SkyFire, its restaurant, afterward.
The access terms are on the resort's own page:
Our Holiday Market and Tree Lighting are open to the public. No RSVP required.
The address is 1297 Bishops Lodge Road. For last year's event, a sponsored feature on SantaFe.com said on-site parking was limited. It recommended arriving early or using a rideshare. The market runs for five hours and the tree lighting comes an hour before it closes. That leaves most of the afternoon for shopping before the 6:00 p.m. crowd arrives.
The second Friday, at Rancho Encantado
The Four Seasons evening has a different structure. The resort's festive-season announcement gives a single two-hour window, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, December 11, 2026. It includes a lighting ceremony, a holiday market, holiday cookies, apple cider and spiced hot chocolate, and it says "guests and the community" will attend. The resort's seasonal pages also say local visitors may join its celebrations.
The same evening includes a Gingerbread House Silent Auction. The houses are made by Kitchen Angels, and the proceeds go to that organization. Four Seasons has not published admission or RSVP terms for the tree lighting. The number it lists for holiday reservations at its Terra restaurant is (505) 946-5800.
Side by side, the two evenings differ mostly in timing and in what comes with them:
| Bishop's Lodge | Four Seasons Rancho Encantado | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Friday, December 4 | Friday, December 11, 2026 |
| Hours | Market 2:00–7:00 p.m., lighting at 6:00 p.m. | 6:00–8:00 p.m. |
| The tree | Farolito tree | Festive tree |
| Market | Artisan Christmas Market with local makers | Holiday market |
| Charitable partner | Española Humane Puppy Patch | Kitchen Angels gingerbread auction |
| Food and drink | Live music, seasonal drinks, savory bites | Cookies, apple cider, spiced hot chocolate |
| Published access terms | Open to the public, no RSVP | Guests and the community invited; terms not listed |
December 4 also starts Hanukkah at Terra
The new Bishop's Lodge date overlaps with another opening night. Four Seasons lists its Hanukkah Celebration from Friday, December 4, to Saturday, December 12, 2026, with traditional holiday dishes on the menus at Terra and Terra Bar throughout. So Hanukkah menus begin at Terra on the same evening the farolito tree is lit at Bishop's Lodge. The Hanukkah run ends the day after the Four Seasons tree lighting. Those nine days cover both Fridays, and that stretch is the busiest part of the season in Tesuque.
The weeks on either side
The season starts well before December and continues past it. These are the published dates, in order:
- Thursday, November 12. Tesuque Pueblo observes its annual feast day of San Diego. The Pueblo of Tesuque notes that the Pueblo can be closed to the public at times and asks visitors to call ahead. It also says all forms of photography are forbidden at the Pueblo.
- Wednesday, November 25, turkey pickup. Terra's family-style Turkey To-Go serves six to eight people and costs $275 before tax. Pickup is the day before Thanksgiving, and orders must be placed by phone at least one week in advance. The meal comes from the Terra team and Executive Chef Gregory Joseph.
- Thursday, November 26, Thanksgiving. El Nido serves a three-course prix fixe from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for $115 per person, before tax and gratuity, with reservations on OpenTable. Terra at Four Seasons offers a prix fixe feast with seatings from noon to 8:00 p.m. It costs $135 for adults and $65 for children ages 6 to 12, before tax and gratuity, and reservations are required.
- Friday, December 4. Bishop's Lodge holds its market and farolito tree lighting, and Hanukkah menus begin at Terra.
- Friday, December 11. Four Seasons holds its tree lighting and the Kitchen Angels auction.
- Wednesday, December 24. Terra serves an à la carte Christmas Eve dinner with festive specials from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m., and reservations are recommended.
- Thursday, December 25. Terra's Christmas brunch buffet runs from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at $140 for adults and $65 for children 6 to 12. A prix fixe dinner follows from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. at $145 and $70. Both require reservations.
- Thursday, December 31. Terra's coursed New Year's Eve dinner runs from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. at $165 for adults and $80 for children 6 to 12, and it includes a glass of Champagne or sparkling cider. Live music follows in Terra Bar from 9:00 p.m. to midnight.
- Friday, January 1, 2027. Terra's New Year's Day buffet brunch runs from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at $135 for adults and $65 for children.
Bishop's Lodge's late-December events are mainly multi-day packages for overnight guests. Wonderland by Auberge runs December 23 to 26 with silversmithing, holiday crafts, winter walks and festive dining at SkyFire. Ring in the New Year runs December 30 to January 1 with art, guided hikes, New Mexico wines, a New Year's Eve dinner and a New Year's Day tea toast. The resort's holiday page sends reservations for these programs to its itinerary designers at 877.496.4119.
The first date with a real deadline is the Thanksgiving turkey. It's picked up on Wednesday, November 25, so with the one-week ordering minimum, the call to Terra has to go in by about November 18.
Most of our work at Ayden Gramm Real Estate happens along these same roads off Bishop's Lodge Road, and we keep track of how the Tesuque calendar changes from year to year. If you'd like to talk about the valley, whether over cider at one of the December lightings or across a table in the new year, we'd be glad to schedule a consultation.
