If necessary, use military to distribute vaccines

Iam confident the U.S. military has more resources and more expertise in logistics concerning transport of goods and personnel in both far-flung and densely populated areas than does the government of New Mexico (or that of any encompassed county or municipality). And it would be great practice for our armed forces, in addition to demonstrating their mettle on a very personal and local basis. Our governor, county and city leaders should be seeking the best assistance possible to deliver the vaccines. Please, let’s put implementation in the hands of people who actually get really crucial, one-chance-only things done.

Deirdre Woulfe Pacheco Santa Fe

Shopping while disabled

The spirit of Christmas can be very uplifting after months of shut-in situations because of the COVID-19 threat.

It has been a delight to visit various stores that follow regulations about the number of people in at one time and cleanliness procedures. I am a semi-invalid who needs my caregiver when I manage a brief shopping event. Almost every store I visited ushered me in warmly, not suggesting I stand in line because of my disability. It was with great regret and disappointment that Target did not honor this kindness to the disabled. It provided an electric chair but told me to go to the end of a very long line in the freezing cold, dimming my spirit of Christmas.

Robert E. Gustafson Santa Fe

Keep up the guard

In these difficult pandemic times, we must all be prudent in making wise health decisions. The vaccine will be coming soon. We must be patient and not let our guard down. My wife and I are planning on taking it, but your decision may be different than ours, and that’s OK.

The world has endured much suffering in the year 2020. Let us thread that needle of hope, not despair. Let us pray for those souls who are no longer with us and be thankful for the hero first responders who protect us against this deadly coronavirus. May the new year bring joy, happiness, peace and love. May that love be like the love little children give us, unconditional, and may we not expect anything but love in return.

Alonzo Lopez Third Order Secular Franciscan Santa Fe

Now, the rest of town

As far as I could tell, the feature on Sunday’s front page (“Anguish and survival,” Dec. 27) dealt more with businesses and individuals in the downtown area of Santa Fe. There is a huge swath of our community that may be facing similar or even more serious problems.

Douglas Conwell Santa Fe

Special holiday spirit

Growing up, once we finished baking biscochitos and filling the corn husks with masa and red chile, I would always help my dad set up our luminarias, or farolitos up north. After we were done with our house, we’d take the trip down to Albuquerque to help my grandparents set up, too. Christmas Eve has always been my favorite.

On Christmas Eve this year, just after filling the paper bags with sand and candles, I read an article online about our state’s Christmas spirit. According to GetCenturyLink, our state is ranked 48th in Christmas spirit. Reading this, I immediately got offended because I’ve lived in New Mexico my whole life and I know how important our holiday traditions are. But the other day at the botanical gardens, a lady explained to me how in Michigan their Christmas was a lot more commercialized. This made me think, “Is our state really poor in Christmas spirit or is it just misunderstood by the rest of the country?”

While the rest of the country was falling into a commercialized trap, our great state kept following the traditions we grew up doing. So next time you celebrate the holidays, remember their true meaning and how these traditions play an important role in our culture.

Alejandro Tarango Belen