Puerto Peñasco is once again adorned for the holiday season. A Christmas winter wonderland lights up Plaza la Madre each night as you first drive into town, which is where the City’s traditional nativity scene may also be found this year. A handful of palm trees are enveloped in holiday colors while poinsettias (noche buenas) add a festive hue to brisk sunny days and chilly nights. As you near City Hall, angels hover overhead, gripping light poles along the boulevard. This evening (Dec. 14th), the Puerto Peñasco School of Music will strike up its 4th Annual Grand Christmas concert at Peñasco del Sol Hotel (Gran Salon, beginning at 8 p.m.) and holiday parties abound…so, what better way to stay in the holiday spirit than to stick to local establishments for this year’s Christmas shopping?
Last year we made a top 10 list of holiday gifts, and this year we’d like to share finds and secrets from around town:
1. Mermaid’s Market – Dec. 15th – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: This is the new hot arts market in town, set up in Shrimp Park every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month. Plans are for the Market to run monthly through early summer 2013, complementing other activities that may take over la Plaza del Camarón from time to time. Photography, iron sculptures, glass jewelry, handcrafted scarves, Christmas decorations, writers’ notebooks, metal flowers, recycled art, stitched and knitted items, chocolate, paintspray art, re-created clothing, purses and mats made from stitched plastic bags, paintings, and more!
2. Dec. 16th 12 p.m. – CEDO presents art and items made with elements and recycle materials from around the region by women from the areas of Bahía Adair and San Jorge. CEDO also has a great gift shop where you can find their 2013 tide calendar and other intriguing items for this holiday season!
3. Dec. 16th 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. Xanart 1st Photo and Music exhibition at Plaza Colosio in the Malecón. Come out to see and support local art talent and take home a holiday memory!
4. Old Port treasures – from the time you start into the Old Port, one of our favorite stops is Mario’s Organic Coffee from Chiapas where you can get ½ lb. or 1 lb. bags of either beans or ground coffee in decorative bags exclaiming Feliz Navidad! CEDO calendars can also be found at Mario’s. Heading further into the Old Port, art galleries and treasure chests abound with color and delights for all. One of our top holiday picks is just about anything from Mercedes Rusticos (right across from the Friendly Dolphin). Mercedes showcases items from across Mexico including ornaments, furniture, blown glass items, talavera and ceramic sets, and fantastical masks and figures. On your way back out of the port is a great arts secret, located just below Latitude 31, at our amiga Cindy Hall’s shop Ideas décor/arte where you can also find items to help make your own art project. Cindy’s wooden puzzles are a must see!
5. Rodeo Drive “Shacks” – Calle 32 (or rather, the old road out to Cholla Bay that now leads out to the construction site of the new Convention Center) continues to be one of Peñasco’s best kept secrets that is not really a secret… A number of years ago the whole stretch of “Rodeo Drive” from the railroad tracks on up was remodeled, paved, and given a general overhaul. Here you can find wonderful items from all over Mexico included weavings, alebrijes (mystical creatures and animals), ironwood sculptures from Sonora, furniture, paintings, and a souvenir tchotchke or two as well.
6. Tequila Factory – Ok, so we don’t have tequila distilleries here but there is the next best thing, a tequila tasting room and wide selection of tequilas and creative tequila cast furniture. The Tequila Factory is found along Blvd. Juarez right next to Banco Santander and Rocky Point BBQ. Among the glowing spirits found there is Manny’s flavored Tequilas, Tequila Peñasco, and Roger Clyne’s Mexican Moonshine.
7. Speaking of Roger Clyne, he and the Peacemakers deserve a mention all their own on our list. Talk about holiday treats…and the music’s good too! With 2013 representing the 22nd edition of Circus Mexicus in Rocky Point (June 6 – 9, 2013) how about gifting tickets to this weekend of fun? Can’t wait to see RCPM, there’s also January Jam and Roger solo in Mexico (Jan. 25th – 26th). Come to think of it, tickets to an outdoor rock concert at JJ’s in January would be a nice way to ring in the New Year (well, wrap up January at least). This January RCPM is also offering their first Mexican Moonshine Tequila Classic golf tourney at The Links at Las Palomas. Mixing tequila and golf, how about a par 3 lime with that? Tickets for concerts, golf tourney, and other RCPM goodies: www.peacetimegoods.com For tequila enthusiasts near and far, if you can’t make it to the Tequila Factory in town you can pick up Mexican Moonshine at www.mexicanmoonshine.com
8. Spas – With all the wonderful oppor-spa-tunities in Puerto Peñasco, we can’t pick just one though a gift certificate to any would certainly be worth it! Some options we’d like to highlight include: Sonoran Spa, Acqua Medical Center (Plaza del Sol), D’Lucy Spa (Blvd. Freemont), Pamper Spa (Plaza Fremont), and Peñasco Beauty Center (across from Ley supermarket), and others around town!
9. Gift certificates – Finally, a perfect stocking stuffer option is to share your love of dining, sailing, fishing, golf, etc. in Peñasco with a friend with a gift certificate for dinner, a golf outing, sunset cruise …you get my drift.
10. For last minute shoppers, stop by one of the jewelry stores in town including El Centenario or Max’s or run by the eclectic import shops of Salmos or Numeros…oh yeah, and there’s also Sam’s this year.
Happy Holidays and happy shopping to you…locally!!