When the 30-foot Christmas tree lights up at Poydras Home on Magazine Street and Jefferson Avenue, that’s the start of the seasonal celebrations! To commemorate the occasion, Poydras Home held the fourth annual Holiday Tree Lighting & Music Festival on December 1st and what made it special was that the event was once again a fully personal benefit since the COVID-19 pandemic. The party was indoors and outdoors, where residents, their families and friends could enjoy performances of Christmas carols and hymns by the New Orleans Council on Aging Community Choir and soprano Sarah Jane McMahon; Photos with Santa Claus (played by New Orleans Council on Aging Director of Community Services Martin Huber) and a festive craft and baked goods sale. A favorite for everyone was the Stocking Stuffer raffle: a $25 entry could win a $100 gift certificate to one of six legendary New Orleans restaurants (with a total of six winners): any restaurant in the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group ; Clancy’s; Creole Dairy; Galatoires; Langenstein’s; and nothing Bundt cake.
Fun fact
Poydras Home was established in 1817 as an orphanage for the female children of widows left destitute by the outbreaks of yellow fever in New Orleans. The first location was in what is now the Warehouse District, and in 1857 Poydras Home moved to its current location in Uptown New Orleans, which was considered a sprawling landscape at the time. While the festival featured traditional holiday classics, both Poydras Home and the event were non-denominational.
Brenda Smith, Santa Claus, Bob Smith
Brooks Ryan, Elise Ryan, Suzanne Thomas
Janis Gissel Letourneau, MD, Byrde Letourneau, and John Godfrey
Pete Towns, Hughes Towns, Caroline Towns, Elizabeth Towns
Gene Shapiro, William Murray, Nanette Shapiro
Sarah Jane McMahon, Erin Kolb
www.myneworleans.com
https://www.myneworleans.com/poydras-home-holiday-tree-lighting-music-festival/
