My secret santa visited Albuquerque, NM and got something for both myself & my significant other! For me - five beautiful Zuni stone bear fetishes & for my s/o, a gorgeous stone & shell bear bracelet!

As coincidence or serendipity would have it, on this exact date last year — September 16th, we were camping in the mountains just a few hours south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, one week in on a 12,000 mile 2 1/2 month road trip across the country. New Mexico is one of our absolute favorite states and we're both lovers of Native American history & culture and had more than a few bear encounters of our own on the trip!

My Santa's package also included a printout which explains the significance of the bear fetish in Zuni mythology — to say that I love the sentiment and find it really meaningful would be an understatement. You can read it here: http://www.nmsoh.org/bear_fetish.htm

Thanks for your beautiful gift, Santa!