NEW ORLEANS — In New Orleans, Christmas doesn't come with snow or sleighs -- but with a marching band and a bonfire lighting the way.
The holidays officially kicked off on the West Bank Saturday night with the Algiers bonfire.
Eric Arvidson spent the past week building the 30-foot tall pyre, using eight tons of lumber and seven years of experience to make it happen.
"The inspiration for this one came last year," Arvidson said. "It was a much smaller fire and kind of universally what we were getting back was 'where's the fire? We want a big fire!' so this year we made it big."
The moment that matters most though, is when his hard work goes up in flames.
"It feels great cause I'm not bringing it home," he laughed.
It's not just the bonfire that draws people in though. Dozens of vendors filled Algiers Point selling gumbo, fried chicken and even eggnog. And it doesn't hurt that you could hear the sounds of The Young Pinstripe Brass Band from across the river.
"The bonfire is an opportunity for us to showcase our homegrown talent," Kelsey Foster, executive director of the Algiers Economic Development Foundation, said. "Whether they're artists, musicians, really people from across the spectrum, right here in Algiers."
But for the kids, there's only one person they want to see: Santa. Once the bonfire is lit, St. Nick comes up the river on a tug boat, trading in his sleigh and reindeer for something a little more local.
"I think this just kind of wakes him up," Arvidson said of the bonfire. "Maybe Santa Claus is kinda sleepy and it's time to wake up and get busy because we're the first bonfire of the season."
It isn't the last though. Bonfires line the levee on Christmas Eve in St. James Parish to guide Papa Noel on his trip across the world.
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