Time for Christmas season in eastern New Mexico

It’s time to polish off that last sliver of pumpkin pie and get ready for a quick pivot into the Christmas season in eastern New Mexico.

Local holiday festivities kick off at 6 p.m. Thursday with Portales’ little miss merry christmas pageant in the Jake Lopez Building at 705 E. Lime St.

This is a new location for the Chamber of Commerce event that serves as an annual fundraiser for the white Christmas lights that brighten Portales businesses each winter.

A tradition that hasn’t changed location is Eastern New Mexico University’s holiday concert at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Ballroom at ENMU’s Campus Union Building.

The free event features the cream of the university’s talented music department, from choral groups to the jazz ensemble and the steel drum band. The closing singalong of old Christmas favorites is a lovely way to get into the spirit of the season.

While it wasn’t originally intended to be a Christmas offering, Portales High School’s Theatre and Drama Club had to reschedule its November performances of the comedy, “Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic,” to this week.

The family friendly play does include a scene at a Christmas ball, and I can guarantee you will bring great cheer to the cast by attending. Curtain time is 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, in the PHS Performing Arts Center, 201 South Knoxville St.

Tickets at the door are $7 general admission, and $5 for military and students with ID. Children under 5 may attend for free. The show runs 90 minutes with no intermission, which might be important to know if you’ve got an especially wriggly kiddo on your guest list.

Portales and Clovis are both hosting their annual Christmas light parades this weekend, Friday and Saturday, respectively. As I write this, the weather forecast looks surprisingly favorable, but it’s always good to plan for a chilly outing. A thermos of hot chocolate is never a bad investment.

Friday’s 36th annual Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce Christmas Jubilee Light Parade has a new route this year, according to Chamber director Karl Terry.

Lineup begins at 6 p.m. on Avenue O, west of the ENMU Theatre parking lot. The parade gets rolling at 6:30 p.m., and will travel Second Street to the Courthouse square, make a left turn on Main Street, then another left turn on First Street before ending in the parking lot at C&S Auto, 300 West First St.

Other activities, including live music, are slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. on the square, where local merchants will have doors open late for us to get going on that gift list.

You might want to round up a set of pointy ears, curly-toed shoes, and a whimsical cap for the Clovis MainStreet Christmas Light Parade scheduled for Saturday.

“Elf” is the theme of the 2022 parade, paying homage to the popular film of that name. The festivities begin at 6 p.m. with the lighting of the community Christmas tree at Seventh and Main streets.

The parade route is a straight shot down Main Street from 14th Street south to Second Street. Numerous kid-friendly activities are planned, and the downtown merchants will be open with holiday specials.

Finally, take a moment to add one more upcoming crowd-pleaser to your December calendar.

Popular singer/songwriter Andy Mason will be at the Portales Fun Center, 1001 West 18th St., at 6 p.m. Dec. 8 to present “A Brief History of Christmas Music.”

Mason lives in France now, but he’s making a stateside swing that includes eastern New Mexico. He and his favorite local sidekick, Central Christian Church Pastor Don Thomas, will take us on an hour-long interactive romp through 400 years of Christmas music.

The program is free, and the Portales Fun Center has promised a “skating special” for those who’d like to stay after and try out their still-new facility.

Strap on those jingle bells and let the season begin.

Betty Williamson’s calendar is filling up fast. Reach her at:

[email protected]