Have Yourself a Holly Jolly Cajun Christmas
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The holiday season in Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou is in full swing, and though we don’t have a winter wonderland to walk in (usually), there are plenty of other ways to get in the holiday spirit and have a holly jolly – and Cajun – Christmas.
Any good morning in December should start with hot chocolate – the more whipped cream and marshmallows, the better! Stop by The Simple Bean in Cut Off to order a cup with all the fixins … or, if you need your mornings to start with a tad more caffeine, sample a coffee flight that features holiday flavors like Candy Cane, Sugar Cookie and Cinnamon Mocha. Yum!
If you want to get a head start on your holiday shopping, downtown Thibodaux offers plenty of opportunities to support local businesses and find something for everyone on your list. Well, it’s doubtful you’ll secure a partridge in a pear tree or three French hens … but who needs those? Chic Chateau, Johnny’s Men's Shop, The Bead Hive and LUCO Boutique are but a few of the local shops that have pretty much everything else along with friendly shopkeepers ready to help you find the perfect gift.
End the day with Christmas in the Park at Peltier Park in Thibodaux. This family-friendly event is a drive-through lights display featuring Christmas trees decorated by local organizations, churches and schools, and lights, lights, and more lights! It runs through December 31, operating from 6 to 9 p.m. every night.
If you can’t get enough of that warm and fuzzy holiday feeling and need to get some inspiration for decking the halls while also filling your stomach with authentic Cajun food, head to the Golden Meadow Christmas Boat Parade and Gumbo Cook Off on December 17. Celebrate the holidays Cajun-style with gumbo, music, craft booths and a lighted boat parade that travels up and down Bayou Lafourche.
There’s no end to the ways you can celebrate the holiday season here in Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou. Whether you’re a resident or a visitor, you’re sure to get a warm welcome … and that’s not just because Papa Noël is making a list and checking it twice. Around here, hospitality just comes with the territory, no matter what the season!
As our residents emerged to begin picking up the pieces of their lives, what we saw was not shattered windows, splintered trees and destroyed homes. It was people opening their homes to those without one, community organizations distributing critical aid to families that didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, and business owners giving away whatever they could to aid the cause. In the hot, humid days that followed, the words “how can I help” echoed off the banks of the bayou.
One year later, here we are. Our doors are back open, the tables are set, the beds are made and our lively festivals have returned. We are welcoming visitors back to experience our unapologetically Cajun culture once again. Even though there is a still a long way to go, we have come so very far over the course of one year. We would not be where we are today if it were not for our residents, government officials, community organizations, volunteers, linemen and those who came from far and wide to help us put the pieces back together.
This year, 
