For Christmas this year we were able to celebrate it in a different place and man did I love it. Blake’s mom’s family grew up in the small Louisiana town of Natchitoches. We had planned to spend part of the holidays there a couple of years ago but because of a death in the family our plans were changed. This past Christmas we were able to put those plans into play.
Natchitoches
is crazy about Christmas. They have a festival every weekend of December just
to celebrate the season. Fireworks, music, food, and even fake snow. It’s so
magical. The first night there we hung out with family and played dirty Santa.
Such a fun easy game to play. We all brought $10 gifts. I ended up with a phone
charger which actually came in really handy a few weeks later. Some were not so
lucky and ended up with toilet golf and moose ears. In other words amazon is a
great place for dirty Santa gifts. The house we stayed at was beautiful. It was
on Airbnb and was the perfect place for the family to stay. It had four
bedrooms and three baths. I did some research on it and found that it was built
in 1901 and was restored in 2016. If you are ever looking for an old plantation
home with modern updates this is the place. It had beautiful hardwood floors, a
kitchen that was to die for, and this cute little claw foot tub. I was
seriously in love. There was plenty of room for our family and it made for a
beautiful back drop for some family pictures. I highly recommend it for anyone
wanting to spend the holidays in Natchitoches.
Saturday
morning was nice and slow with warm coffee. Then we geared up that afternoon to
enjoy the historic downtown of Natchitoches. We ate lunch at merci beaucoup. I
was pretty impressed with their version of Cajun style food. Their meat pies
were delicious! Natchitoches is known for their meat pies. I would suggest if
you are going to eat in Natchitoches during a festival weekend to make
reservations early. Every restaurant had a line out the door starting at 4p.m
and the lines did not let up until about 10 that night. Dinner is never
complete without dessert, so Blake and I walked over to this cute little bakery
to have glass bottle cokes and beignets. They were seriously so delicious.
Crispy, hot, and covered in powdered sugar!
That
afternoon we spent time walking downtown and checking out the little stores.
Boutiques, restaurants, a mercantile and so much more. Walking around the black
posts on the cobblestone streets you feel like you’re in a mini New Orleans. My
favorite part was the Christmas lights hung across the street and the fake
snow. I mean it was like a winter wonderland!
After
the sun goes down, everyone gathers around the edge of the river to watch the
fireworks show. I was in complete awe watching the show. Not only are the
fireworks bright and colorful but they are shot off to the beat of Christmas
music. I don’t think I looked away for the whole twenty-five minutes. So
spectacular. People of all ages would love this show! Definitely worth the
wait!
If
you’re ever looking for a fun family weekend, Natchitoches is the place to go.
I can’t wait to go back again next year!
