AUTHOR JACK CALDWELL DISCUSSES CHRISTMAS IN NEW
ORLEANS WITH AN EXCERPT FROM CRESCENT
CITY
(A Very Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! As you enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend please comment on Jack's post
(A Very Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! As you enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend please comment on Jack's post
You should understand that New Orleans and South
Louisiana is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. It’s the Christmas
Season down there, not the “Holiday Season.” That doesn’t mean we leave out
our Jewish friends, as you will see.
You should also understand that there is a difference
between New Orleans and Cajun Country.
New Orleans is the cosmopolitan, almost European, major city in the
state. To the south and west
stretch the swamps, farms, and prairies where the country
folk—Cajuns—reside. They are
different from New Orleanians, and they will be the first to tell you that.
Because they are overwhelmingly Roman Catholic,
Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is big there. Really big.
Standing-room only big. Go
to Mass twice a year big. Everyone
goes home to prepare for the visit by Santa, otherwise known as Père Noël or Papa Noel.
Christmas concerts are held at St. Louis Cathedral in
the French Quarter and at the beautiful
plantations homes lining the
Mississippi River, like Oak Alley.
Since this is New Orleans, food is
all-important. Réveillon dinners, special four and
five course prix fixe menus served
only during the Advent season, are available at most of the restaurants in
town. Lately, Bûche de Noel, a French Christmas cake shaped like a log, have
become popular.
The best thing about Christmas in Louisiana is that it
is NOT done for tourists. We put
on these celebrations and displays for ourselves. While we are very happy to share with visitors, we would do
these things even if no one outside of our community came. It is part and parcel of who Louisianians are. It is real—just like the great people of the great state of
Louisiana.
[Below is an excerpt from ELYSIAN DREAMS: Volume Two of CRESCENT CITY, my Jane Austen based
trilogy about New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. It contains elements of Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, and Emma. Even with the slight change of
names, you can see the S&S
influence here:]
December, 2004
In New Orleans, the celebration is
unique. The great mansions along St. Charles Avenue are
dressed in a charming
Victorian style. Creole restaurants offer traditional Réveillon dinners—special three- and
four-course dinners served only at Christmas. A subtle loveliness descends on
the city as it prepares not only for the birth of the Savior, but the madness
of New Year’s and the Sugar Bowl crowds.
***
City Park in New Orleans is one of
the largest urban parks in the nation. At over thirteen hundred acres, it is
home to the Museum of Art, three golf courses, two stadiums, the Storyland
children’s area, nine athletic fields, eleven miles of lagoons, lakes, and
bayous, and the world's largest collection of mature live oak trees.
He held her tighter. “We locals sometimes forget we
have things like Celebration in the Oaks. You warm enough?”
Her hand began exploring. “If I get cold, I’ll just
heat up my ol’ hot water bottle.”
“Watch it, honey. We’re not alone.”
“Don’t mind me, folks,” chuckled the driver. “Y’all
enjoy yourselves.”
Chris still thought it would be a good idea to change
the subject. “Your mom is okay with you staying in the city for the holidays?”
Marianne nodded. “She knows my singing career is
important. We have a lot of gigs between Christmas and New Year’s with the bowl
game and all.”
“We’ll run up to Jackson in January,” Chris promised.
“What about your folks?”
“My mom and dad are coming to the city Monday and
staying in my spare bedroom through Christmas. They want to see one of your
shows.”
“They are! Wonderful!” They kissed until they were
both breathless.
“Chris, let’s go home after the ride, okay?”
“Sure. Are you cold?”
She whispered in his ear. “With your folks coming
over, there won’t be any overnighters for a while. I need me some Cajun lovin’
to see me through the holidays.”
“Right,” he whispered back. Louder, he requested,
“Driver, you can speed it up.”
The man laughed. “Happens every time.”
Unfortunately, carriage
rides are no longer offered during Celebration in the Oaks. But I couldn’t
resist sharing this except. It was fun while it lasted.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
Jack Caldwell,
born and raised in the Bayou County of Louisiana, is an author, amateur
historian, professional economic development consultant, playwright, and like
many Cajuns, a darn good cook.
His nickname—The Cajun Cheesehead—came from
his devotion to his two favorite NFL teams: the New Orleans Saints and the
Green Bay Packers. (Every now and then, Jack has to play the DVD again to
make sure the Saints really won in 2010.)
When not writing or traveling with Barbara, Jack
attempts to play golf. A devout convert to Roman Catholicism, Jack is married
with three grown sons.
Jack's blog postings—The Cajun Cheesehead
Chronicles— appear regularly at Austen Variations.
FOLLOW
JACK HERE:
Web site – Ramblings of a Cajun in Exile – https://cajuncheesehead.com/
Blog – Austen Variations – http://austenvariations.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/JCaldwell25
It
takes a real man to write historical romance, so let me tell you a story.
Jack: I love New Orleans but have never been there at Christmas time. I need to take the time to do that sometime. Thanks for your fun post and look at a different holiday.
ReplyDeleteBarbara
I've always wanted to visit New Orleans, so I really enjoyed this post!
ReplyDelete