Farolitos light the Inn and Spa at Loretto in Santa Fe, New Mexico

© Ian Shive/Tandem Stills + Motion

Farolitos light the Inn and Spa at Loretto in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Every year as Christmas approaches, the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico hosts the Canyon Road Farolito Walk. What’s a farolito? It’s those lights you see in this photo, adorning the rooftops of this hotel in Santa Fe. While some locals display electric farolitos, a traditional version is a votive candle in a paper bag, weighed down by sand. Many homes in the Southwest decorate for the holidays with farolitos. In other parts of New Mexico, they’re called ‘luminaria’. No matter what you call them, the lights provide that cheery glow to keep winter gloom away.