13 days and counting...!

Faced the mall today for one of the last few gifts we need. I worked on our Christmas card this evening...an annual tradition to make each year's card better than the last. The coffee's on and the excitement of the coming holiday is seeping into everything. School is nearing the end and the boys have endless guesses on what it is wrapped under the tree. To quote Sam the talking snowman, "I love this Christmasy time of year."

crescent city tree

I haven't been many places in my life. New York on my honeymoon where I was the typical camera toting china town wandering gotta see a Broadway show tourist, and loved every minute of it I might add; and other than a quick drive through Nashville, Tennessee I've never left the states that border the Gulf of Mexico. Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida. Seen them all, but not much else. But New Orleans. New Orleans is one of those cities that you wish commanded as much respect as New York, but at the same time you realize that would ruin the city. New Orleans with its unspoken charm and gritty street scene, its erotic Bourbon St., its sobering Cafe' du Monde, the Mississippi River, and all the history of the South finding home in this city that sits in a bowl underneath the sea level. Christmas here just can't be compared with Christmas anywhere else. It goes without saying though, because anytime of the year can't be compared with spending even a weekend in New Orleans, no matter what the season is.

cowtown christmas

Christmas is in full swing. That is an understatement I realize, it having been "Christmas" since probably October. I am not the one to complain to though, because I love it. Being the sentimental sap that I am, instilled in me diligently by my Mother who we decorated our tree with every year to Bing Crosby and the claymation Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on the television, I totally enjoy the holiday. I'm not one of those over the top Christmas fans like the neighbors and their extravagant light show set to music, you just dial in the station in front of their house and watch the show...no I celebrate the quieter moments: the tree lit up alone in the living room, a fire going in the fireplace, a cup of hot chocolate, and making and wrapping gifts. Just a fraction of the holiday that I love. Anyway, here are a few festive shots from downtown cow town to help usher in the blog to Christmas and all that I love about it.