With Christmas around the corner, it’s only fitting that we start getting into the yuletide cheer. So I wasn’t too shocked when I turned on my television and Scrooge was on. As the movie progressed, I thought how similar the setting of the movie was to New Orleans – especially when the ghosts showed up. After all, New Orleans has been referred to as the most haunted city in the United States. Now I know we’ve earned many a nickname from our unique history and culture, but the most haunted city?

I couldn’t believe the amount of stories I discovered of documented spirit sightings in our city. When I think of spirits in New Orleans, they’re usually served on the rocks. With the exception of a few, most of the stories weren’t of tortured souls but of a friendly bond between spirits and locals. Most of the stories are told by home and business owners that have encountered a ghost on their property. One man described how comedic his ghost was, always playing pranks by hiding his shoes or turning off the TV in the middle of “Jeopardy.” These New Orleanians welcomed their ghosts, just as they welcome everything else about our culture. To them, the only drawback of having a ghost as a roommate is that a ghost can’t chip in for cable.

So here we are: Even the dead don’t want to leave New Orleans. Any other culture would probably want to cast the spirit out of their home, but not here. Here we invite them in for a cocktail and conversation. You may not believe in ghosts, but I think we can all agree whether it’s the spirit in your glass, in your heart or in your hallway, New Orleans is a city like no other.

The Tulane Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma (Beta Omicron) opened their house to local Kappas to not only celebrate the sorority’s Founders Day, but also to honor local Kappas for their generosity and contributions in the community. New Orleans Kappa Alumnae President Meg Butler worked with the Beta Omicron president to plan the event. After the ceremony, the honorees and actives exchanged Kappa stories at the reception.