The most wonderful time of the year…

(With thanks to my friend Beez for the title from his Facebook status and passion for the fruit from which this post sprouts.)

Whenever that phrase is uttered two things come to mind; the Christmas Holidays and that silly Staples commercial where the parents are celebrating the return of their children to school after a bored summer at home. Well now, living in Las Cruces, NM a third option has become available and it is celebrated here with much fervor. Of course, I am talking about the Chile Harvest, more specifically, the Hatch Chile Harvest. Do you think it might be a major event? Check out this article. And also remember that Hatch is the chile capital of the world. Don’t believe me, check out this webpage.

We are talking major, MAJOR, celebration in the area. This makes it almost impossible not to compare holidays so today I bring you the Christmas / New Mexico Chile Fest tale of the tape:

Christmas brings out the store and home decorations, mostly red and green. NM Chile Fest brings out the decorations, ONLY red and green. Slight advantage to NM.

Christmas brings out the sweet holiday music. Unfortunately, it usually starts around October 1^st and by the actual holiday, you are sick of the stuff. NM Chile Fest means dancing and music, mainly Mariachi style. You can hear this year round so it is difficult to overdose on it as it is always there. Advantage NM.

Christmas sights? Decorated trees, twinkling lights, presents wrapped in festive paper. This screams holiday time. Chile Fest sights? Large chile roasters in front of every supermarket, behind some restaurants and at places like the Farmers market. Simple yet effective. You see the roasters, you know what time of the year it is. Advantage NM.

Christmas smells? Sure, balsam is big, perhaps turkey or ham in the oven, your favorite aunts perfume. Chile Fest smells? The aroma of chiles being roasted wafting thru the air. Some of our friends have picked up their roasted chiles and closed up the windows of their car on the way home to enjoy the smell. Advantage, NM.

What about specialty foods? Well Christmas has those dang Christmas cookies, piled high on festive trays and covered in plastic wrap to keep them fresh for the next load of visitors to your home. Chile Fest ? Well, nothing, NOTHING tops a good Green Chile Cheese Burger (GCCB). I know for a fact that Beez has traveled 300+ miles in a day to go to San Antonio NM for the Owl Bar’s GCCB. I know because Mrsfabp and I accompanied him and Clairz on a day trip there, and it is reported that that is the BEST GCCB in the state. However, to be fair, Sparky’s in Hatch NM may have the second best GCCB and it is much closer. I know this for a fact because Mrsfabp and I accompanied him and Clairz on a day trip there, on at least 5 occasions. Hey, I’m retired and I don’t mind the drive. Advantage? NM in a landslide here. (Oh, by the way, they put chile on everything here. I have seen it on meatloaf and eggs and ice cream and pizza and, well you get the idea.)

Well, that’s it folks, it is Chile Fest in a landslide. We are going to get our own roasted chiles this weekend but did have the special treat of sitting next to a full bore chile roast at a local supermarket. You can’t live in this town without learning to crave this special treat. Over the first few months here, I perfected my own Green Chile Chicken Enchilada, which we have at least a couple of, times a month. We also go every Saturday morning to a local restaurant, Nellie’s, a hidden gem in the area, for breakfasts which include Huevos Rancheros (fried eggs served on corn tortillas and smothered in green chile sauce), Enchilada with egg, smothered with green chile sauce and Chile Rellenos, a few chiles stuffed with cheese and more. Well, now it’s lunch time and I have to get my green chile on.