There is a lot to do at Christmas time in New Orleans.
- Check out the Christmas lights on St Charles Avenue. All of the mansions on St. Charles are beautifully decorated. You can take the streetcar from 3rd Street to Carrolton and back to see them.
- Bonfires on the levee on Christmas Eve. Start on River Road in Laplace and drive west through Reserve to Gramercy. Go before dusk to see the bonfire preparations. Fires are lit after dark.
- Celebration in the Oaks. You can drive your car through City Park to see all of the decorated oak trees. You can also buy a ticket to walk through the botanical gardens and ride the carousel.
- Christmas caroling in Jackson Square. The Sunday before Christmas people gather in Jackson Square to sing Christmas carols. Volunteers hand out song books and candles. Caroling begins at 7pm.
- Roosevelt Hotel lobby. Several of the hotels have beautiful decorations in the lobby. The Roosevelt always has a beautiful collection of Christmas trees. Walk through the lobby and stop and have a slow gin fizz or a sazerac at the Sazerac bar. (In the 1949 when women were first allowed to drink in bars in New Orleans, women “stormed” the Sazerac. There is a celebration every year.)
- Reveillon dinners. During the month of December, many of the restaurants in New Orleans have special Christmas menus, called a Reveillon dinner, that consists of several dishes. It’s in memory of the big meal families would eat after Christmas Eve mass. Recommendations are recommended!