When the 30-foot holiday tree is glowing at the Poydras Home corner of Magazine Street and Jefferson Avenue, it’s the start of seasonal celebrations!
To mark the occasion, Poydras Home hosted its the fourth annual Holiday Tree Lighting & Music Festival on Dec. 1, and what was so special was that the event was back to being a fully in-person benefit since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The party was inside and out, where residents, their families and friends could enjoy performances of holiday songs and hymns by the New Orleans Council on Aging Community Choir and soprano vocalist Sarah Jane McMahon; photos with Santa Claus (played by the New Orleans Council on Aging Director of Community Services Martin Huber) and a holiday craft and baked goods sale.
A favorite for all was the Stocking Stuffer raffle: a $25 ticket bought a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to one of six iconic New Orleans eateries (with six winners in total): any restaurant within the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group; Clancy’s; Creole Creamery; Galatoire’s; Langenstein’s; and Nothing Bundt Cakes.
Fun Fact
Poydras Home originated in 1817 as an orphanage for female children of widows left destitute by the yellow fever outbreaks in New Orleans. The first location was in what is now the Warehouse District and in 1857, Poydras Home relocated to its current location in Uptown New Orleans, which was considered to be a sprawling countryside at that time.
While traditional holiday classics were performed at the festival, both Poydras Home and the event were nondenominational.
Brenda Smith, Santa, Bob Smith
Brooks Ryan, Elise Ryan, Suzanne Thomas
Janis Gissel Letourneau, MD, Byrde Letourneau, John Godfrey
Pete Towns, Hughes Towns, Caroline Towns, Elizabeth Towns
Gene Shapiro, William Murray, Nanette Shapiro
