Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.

It's a magical ride deep in the bayou.

We'll take you on a Christmas swamp tour with a different kind of Santa and a magical drive beneath the shimmering lights of Candy Cane Lane, plus a sparkling Louisiana tradition on stage behind the scenes of The Nutcracker, A tale from the Bayou and the town of Logansport gets into the holiday spirit on the banks of the Sabine River.

Let's get started.

This Christmas.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Christina Jensen, and I'm Johnny Atkins.

And welcome to our special holiday edition of Louisiana State.

We're in.

And I am just loving that sweater time.

It, Well, I had someone gave it to me.

I wear it once a year.

You know, we're in the Christmas spirit.

Why not?

And we'll be taking you on a tour of some of the most festive events happening across Louisiana.

And we'll kick things off in Henderson, Louisiana.

Deepen your channel.

I a basin McGee Swamp Tours regularly draws in visitors from around the state, but they're a channel for Christmas.

Tours are a little different, led by Papa Noel.

Take a look at this unique Louisiana tradition.

Today we're visiting McGee's Swamp Tours and a Catholic Christmas where the Christmas magic is brewing Cajun style.

It's a beloved Christmas tradition that combines alligators, bayous, and very unique take on Santa Claus.

I love to eat crawfish.

I love the, the Louisiana, food here.

I got to come to Roseanna so I can get fat.

McGee.

Swamp tours is another unique Louisiana experience happening year round.

Tourists from around the world come in to travel around the area.

Swamp thing birds, alligators, and the cypress trees that make this area famous.

But during Christmas season, they have a different type of tour.

A few years ago now, we reached out to Papa Noel because we needed his help in getting families to come out here and enjoy the swamp while celebrating Christmas, as well.

Katrina Cowart is the general manager of Louisiana Swamp Tours and explains what makes these tours special.

When I first started, we had four tours per day every weekend before Christmas and one pop in a well, and by 2020 we sold out.

Actually in 20 minutes.

It's grown since.

I mean, people actually said their alarm clocks to the day that we're going to be selling the tickets.

Papa Noel is the star of the Swamp Tours, bringing families together for a different kind of Christmas.

Cloudy skies, a little rain and a tour of the swamps.

You'll never see anywhere else, and a special tour guide that not many people know about, pop in the world that Cajun Santa Claus, Papa Noel is the main man of the tour.

He's different from the traditional Santa, as he prefers traveling in a Creole swamp over the snowy hills.

I love Louisiana and I love the swamp, and I love to fish and trap.

So I come here and I get to do all these things.

I like to share the love, but all the kids, as we're on the same time, guests on the Christmas tour, make their way down the pier and get on board the pontoon style boat on the airboat boat cover to provide shade from the sun and protection from the rain.

I love the Christmas time, being able to share core memories with a lot of families and young kids and show them the beauty of the swamp, as well as give them a little education.

Families get to see the sights of the swamps and learn about the largest swamp in the United States.

The Atchafalaya River basin covers almost 1 million acres in south central Louisiana and is approximately 137 miles long, and the tourists even get to meet and pet one of Papa Noel special friends, a baby alligator who will grow up to pop.

Pop a skiff not by the traditional reindeer, but by a mighty alligators.

McGee's Christmas tour shows off a natural Atchafalaya Basin, while Papa Noel reads the Cajun Night Before Christmas.

Mufasa more Fassett the day to day came.

He was on the and he called them all by their name.

Hey, Pierre.

Hey, guys.

Don't.

Hey, I see Anthony boy and Papa Noel leads the families and children singing classic Christmas songs.

Bouncing up.

They all want to ride in a landmark boat and say, hey, you back.

Bob, what's different about this than the regular Christmas lights?

They get to go on a boat.

What do you think about this?

Is it fun?

Say that what's what's farm?

But we had the pet alligators.

We get to read a book and also we get to sing songs.

Where you think about Papa Noel.

He was kind of nice, I like him.

You like Christmas?

What do you like about it?

Because Santa brings us presents.

And I like seeing everybody.

All the little kids, like, smile and laugh and stuff and like, sing the carols and like, when they get the alligator.

That's cute.

It's just nice being on the boat with my wife and my little girls and get to spend time out in nature and see stuff.

I didn't grow up here, but this is like where the girls are essentially from.

And so I just think that I'm getting to be a part of, like their heritage was important and the fun doesn't end on the water.

Once the tour is over and families gather for the swamp festivities, like the long standing tradition with the creation of an ornament stuffed with Spanish moss stuff, all the ornament with Spanish moss come up with a different idea.

For an animal, we have to do whatever animal lives in the swamp.

Anything they do to make with your hand.

We try to do it.

We're going to paint your hand blue, and I'm going to be making a blue catfish.

We've been doing this for eight years, so next year we're going to be doing a green alligator.

So this is my, catfish ornament for the tree.

The Cavalier Christmas tour has been going now for eight years and grows bigger every year.

With more and more kids from around the world.

Kids enjoy.

They have a blast.

Can they get candy?

To get cookies?

You get to see this wanting to get to sing Christmas carols with Papa Noel and a whole family gets to be entertained.

Up, up.

All the flier tours are so popular that they sell out every year, so you got to move faster than a hungry alligator just to get a spot.

I just want to wish I, by a merry Christmas and to share the love when everyone you meet.

Okay guys, is.

You and your sweet baby celebrate your birthday and the Christmas swap tours are open through December 23rd.

You can learn more at McGee's Swamp tours.com.

Johnny, you really did get into the Christmas spirit going on that tour.

How was it?

I think it's great.

I think it's a great idea to have Papa Noel, the Cajun Santa Claus.

I would love to go.

I got to go on that tour sometime.

Oh, kids should go see that.

Well, where we're heading next.

Well, next, we're off to Kelloholm for a drive down Candy Cane Lane.

This holiday hotspot lights up with over a million twinkling lights and festive displays.

The family behind it.

They took a huge leap, leaving their job to turn Candy Cane Lane into an annual tradition for the whole region.

Say.

Me?

Just off the highway in Calhoun, Louisiana, the forest begins to glow.

Lights flicker between the pines, turning a quiet corner of northeast Louisiana into a world of magic.

This is Candy Cane Lane.

It's over a mile long.

When you drive through it, you're going to see over a million lights in here.

Some great holiday music.

And the best part?

You don't even have to leave your car.

As the road twists deeper into the trees, the glow only grows stronger.

Lights draped from branches, characters tucked between pines, and entire scenes rising out of the darkness like they were pulled straight from a holiday storybook.

We'll shut down right up to the first of the year, take everything down, and then usually by February or March, we're already making plans for the next year ordering lights, going to Christmas shows and stuff, to get new ideas and new pricing, new products.

Pretty much by the 1st of July.

I've got at least a couple of guys by myself that are starting to work, repair and replace and getting it ready by September 1st.

We're full bore.

For nine years now, Candy Cane Lane has drawn thousands down this path, each car moving slowly, almost in or taking in the displays one moment at a time.

And for co-owners Ben and Amy Hansen, the purpose behind all of this has always been simple create a place where families can rediscover the magic of the season together, we are unrecognizable.

I feel like from year one, yeah, we've added so much more, a whole quarter mile to it.

We've added the Harrah's, we put new things out every year.

This year we've got a 130, 40ft fire truck that we've added.

So it's, you know, we try to do something recognizably different.

Each year the Hansons add more more lights, more scenes, more moments designed to spark wonder.

We're now right at around 60 acres.

We've got a mile and a quarter of, actual road that you come in or, you know, that you drive through.

That's a lit and decorated.

We started out with a million lights back in 2017, and we're well over that now.

We add to every year, you know, we don't take anything down.

There are glowing tunnels, animated characters, towering displays, a dance with the music, and around every bend, a surprise waiting to be discovered.

When you're here, it's hard not to feel like a kid again.

Every turn brings something new, a memory, a reason to smile.

And that's why people keep coming back.

And those families come from everywhere, from across northeast Louisiana and beyond.

Some arrive bundled in pajamas with hot cocoa in hand.

Others make the trip year after year as part of a family tradition.

It's the first year we were open.

We had a film crew come out from local television and wanted to do a story.

They stopped against a car that was coming out and, turned out the family in there was from Wales.

They were visiting family locally for the holidays and so that was super cool.

And they've actually stayed in touch with us throughout the years.

But for Amy and Ben, their favorite part is watching the reactions unfold.

The wide eyes, the laughter, the shared moments inside each car.

What's your favorite part of Candy Cane Lane?

My favorite part as the customers.

My favorite is just seeing the families come through.

Who's been in good quality family time together, and then just seeing the smiles on everybody's faces, the kids, you know, hanging out of the window and singing to the music or, you know, pointing out their favorite displays.

And while the displays are grand, the feeling they create is simple connection, a rare chance to slow down, roll through a mile of magic, and remember what this season is really about.

We tell people all the time it's the best job in the world.

It really is.

I mean, if you're making people happy for a living, that's what else could you ask for?

Yeah, no.

Even though the drive will come to an end, the memories will remain in Calhoun.

Candy Cane Lane continues to shine bright this holiday season.

Oh.

Candy Cane Lane is open every night from 6 to 10 through January 3rd.

Their website.

You got to check it out.

Candy cane Lane dot net.

Yeah, it looks like a lot of fun.

I like this high technology, Chris.

It was so much fun.

They're displays are amazing.

Over a million lights.

You got to check it out over in Calhoun.

Yeah I'm looking forward to seeing that.

Well, up next, it's known as the crown jewel of the holiday season.

The Baton Rouge Ballet Theater's production of The Nutcracker A tale from the Bayou is an annual tradition for many families, and the dancers and the musicians put a southern spin on the timeless holiday ballet.

Christmas is in the air at the Baton Rouge River Center Theater, as they're putting on their annual play of The Nutcracker.

This performance is a little different.

What's the difference between The Nutcracker and The Nutcracker table view?

Oh, that's a good question.

It's the traditional Nutcracker traditional Nutcracker music.

The format of the ballet is very similar, but it has a real Louisiana flair to it.

Christine Perkins is the associate director at the Baton Rouge Ballet Theater.

She joined the theater in 1994 and notes some of the differences and a tale from the Bayou.

The land of the sweets is set with the background of the old State Capitol rotunda.

And, you know, other little things fall into place where the cooks, who typically just bring traditional candies, they bring out a big steaming pot of pralines as they're cooking.

The Nutcracker story begins in a Cajun cabin on the bayou, rather than the traditional European home, and the Kingdom of Sweets is instead set in the Louisiana Old State Capitol.

John Cox is an artistic director at the Ballet Theater.

She's been dancing and performing since she was just a little girl.

I started dancing when I was three years old because I was walking around on my toes all the time, and my grandmother thought I needed to be a ballerina.

The Baton Rouge Ballet Theater's co-artistic directors, Molly Bookman and Sharon Matthews, got the idea to create that classic Tarkowski score.

With the Louisiana setting back in the 1980s and the first performance of The Nutcracker, A tale from the Bayou happened in 1992.

There are ballet companies all over the world that do a Nutcracker.

If you're going to see one ballet in your lifetime, it should be The Nutcracker, and it should especially be the Baton Rouge Ballet Theater's production, because we do it with a little Louisiana flavor.

There's a huge cast of performers with children as young as eight and a total of nearly 300 local dancers, and they each get to share the stage with professional guest artists, all moving to the beautiful live music of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.

And this is kind of cool.

Each kid will have their own color on their different costumes, so the parents can recognize them from the audience.

And so this is the body costume for the mice.

And this is a helmet.

This is the helmet.

So this is actually a bike helmet on the inside.

It's a bike helmet.

And can the kids see through this barely.

They can see.

They can see it's mesh on the sides so that they can see okay.

Yeah.

See all the notes to The Nutcracker and the tale from the Bayou has become one of the charming Christmas traditions in Louisiana, and the Baton Rouge Ballet Theater's rendition isn't just a performance, it's a love letter to Louisiana.

Well, it's a wonderful program for the whole family.

Very children oriented.

There's lots of, fun explosions and confetti that goes into the, audience.

And our act here we have, Spanish and Arabian, Chinese, Russian, marzipan.

And they each have their own flair.

The ballet is a crown jewel of the Baton Rouge holiday season, with the power of Tchaikovsky's classic score mixed with unique Louisiana charm.

It's nostalgic, you know, growing up with it, growing up with the girls.

You know, there are some of my closest friends that we've had.

I've made doing this production.

My family come in, they come in from out of town to watch it.

So it's definitely something around the holidays to get together with your families.

The scenery at the beginning is just absolutely beautiful.

And it's in a swampy area, and we have a little Cajun house.

And then there's this big record player and it plays Cajun music.

The ballet also features sets inspired by real historical plantation homes, moving on to Louisiana's old state capitol.

So the, the music is, is the same.

It's just different backgrounds and different locations, the locations, the feel, the, the colors of all the costumes in the party scene.

You expect this tradition to continue?

Absolutely.

The Nutcracker is a hallmark in Louisiana, drawing fans from across the South to see The Nutcracker.

A tale from the Bayou.

So if you want your taste of the Louisiana tradition, The Nutcracker A tale from the Bayou may be the perfect place to find it.

I want to check out that holiday ballet.

How amazing.

Yeah, it's unique to Louisiana.

That's what makes it special and different kind of Christmas.

You got to love it.

Of course it's in Louisiana.

Yeah, well.

Moving on.

The holiday lights are shining bright along the Sabine River in the historic town of Logansport.

The community goes all out for Christmas with a parade, fireworks, local vendors, and plenty of festive cheer for the whole family.

Merry Christmas to this boy here in Logansport.

The Christmas season is officially underway in just a few hours, this town will be glowing with lights and filled with holiday cheer.

Premiere date The Logansport Christmas Festival draws families from across northwest Louisiana to the Sabine River, where the town awakens in a glow of holiday lights, music and celebration.

Rows of arts and crafts booths, local vendors offering handmade ornaments and gifts you won't find anywhere else.

Parents shop, children play, and the smell of sweet treats fills the air.

The parade is fantastic.

We've been three years and not to mention the lights close to home.

This is a big thing for us so we have a big turnout, so it's just wonderful.

The annual Christmas parade sweeps through downtown, marching bands echoing holiday floats glowing and Santa's atop a fire truck.

It's a tradition that unites this entire community.

Joining me now is the one the only Santa Claus.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Ho ho ho.

So good to be here in Logansport, Louisiana.

We know you're a busy man delivering presents throughout the world, but why did you make this stop here in Logansport today?

Logansport is one of my favorite stops of the year.

I've been coming here for.

It's been going on for over 20 years.

This festival is entirely volunteer driven, and it takes months of planning.

Cynthia Hendrickson and Tori Taylor are two of the people behind the magic.

Started with my mom and a group of ladies started.

They were from the Sigma Theta and they started with the lights on Main Street.

And Candy Cane Lane is a a community.

And I don't know if you noticed that down there when everybody is, it's like a lifetime movie.

That's how truly everybody feels about this town.

They love this town.

We we live and breathe this town.

And everybody comes together to make it work.

After the parade rolls through downtown, all eyes turn toward the riverfront, where one of the brightest moments of the season is about to begin.

With a community wide countdown, the Sabine River is suddenly transformed into a shimmering, colorful Christmas wonderland.

A fireworks show lights the sky, reds, golds and greens reflecting across the water as families look on in awe.

And for a town built on the edge of two states, the setting itself is part of the story.

The settling river divides both Texas and Louisiana.

And right down the middle is the land.

So if you sit in your backyard, you're looking at the state.

It's got so much history.

This whole town, this is always been to me.

A gold mine on the ground.

What happened?

Well, with that highway 84, the highway 84 is beginning to start happening.

Although premiere night in Logansport is the biggest celebration.

The lights stay on long after the crowds go home from late November through the new year.

The Logansport riverfront remains open nightly, giving families a chance to walk the trails, take pictures and soak in the Christmas spirit at their own pace.

And for the volunteers, this is exactly why they bring the festival to life.

Each year.

You.

I do it for the kids.

It's the kids.

It's to see their face when they see Santa.

It's the experience that that matters.

Because you won't remember.

You know the little things.

It's just the the experiences you get to have together.

Like this trip that comes with its own wonderful country town.

What do you say to folks in Louisiana this holiday season?

Please enjoy your families, have a good time with your families and enjoy them.

Don't get caught up in the commercialism.

Just have family time.

That's what Christmas is all about.

Ho ho ho.

Thank you so much for joining us.

We know it's your busiest time of year.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

You from the volunteers who make it happen to the families who return year after year.

Logansport has truly created something special here along the Sabine River.

Merry Christmas from Logansport.

You know, for a small town in Louisiana, they really put on a great big event.

Yeah, and it's amazing to see what they can do with the lights and the technology.

Now, with Christmas and the parades, too, of course.

And, you know, Logansport is just a few of one of the many big events in Louisiana this holiday season.

Now let's check out a few of the others in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, lights takes visitors on a journey through a Christmas wonderland lit up with millions of lights.

Yeah, you got to check this out.

This is going to run through December 30th at the Birder Museum and Gardens.

You can get more details at LSU AG center.com.

And a New Orleans celebration in the Oaks is underway at the City Park.

In addition to the lighted walking tour, there are amusement rides for the kids and loads of other fun things to do that runs through January 1st.

Sounds like a good time and that's our holiday show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB any time, wherever you are with our LPB app, and you can catch LPB news and public affairs shows, as well as other Louisiana programs that you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

Happy holidays!

I'm Christina Jensen and I'm Johnnie Adkins.

And until next time.

That's the state we're in.

And.

Support for Louisiana, the state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power lights.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and by Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.