As I mentioned in previous blogs, my husband and I had plans to travel to New Orleans for Christmas this year. We’ve gone on vacation around the holidays before, but this year we departed Christmas Eve, so we experienced Christmas Day in the Crescent City.

Ahead of our trip, we looked into places open on Christmas Day so we could develop a basic plan. We started our day with Mass at St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. The building was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and it was a really nice experience. After the service, we made our way to Broussard’s for brunch. Open since the 1920s, the restaurant is a staple for Creole dishes. We both ordered the barbecue shrimp and grits off the holiday brunch menu. Our meal was delicious, and the service was impeccable. A band came in to play live Christmas music while we were eating for an extra-festive experience.

Later in the day we went back out to explore some of the open bars and restaurants in the French Quarter and beyond. We had delicious cocktails and appetizers at The Elysian Bar in the city’s Marigny neighborhood. Finally, we had a light dinner at the bar at Couvant at the Eliza Jane Hotel.

The entire city was full of beautiful decorations and holiday cheer. We had a lovely time celebrating Christmas in New Orleans.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director