Shreveport’s Christmas Celebrations: How Festive Are We?

Get our free mobile app

Does Shreveport, Louisiana pull out all the stops when it comes to celebrating Christmas or should we be extras on The Grinch?

Personally, when I think of Christmas in Shreveport, I think of helping with Operation Santa Claus. So I guess the first thing I associate Christmas in Shreveport with is giving. One of the best Christmas days I ever had was spent feeding the hungry alongside Chef Pat and his band of volunteers behind First Methodist in downtown Shreveport. It made my soul happy.

We don't think of having 'white' Christmases in Shreveport because it rarely snows. But I also think of time with family and friends, the Independence Bowl, Rockets Over the Red, and all of the myriad specialty markets we have to enjoy locally. However, the folks at Lawnstarter say we're not doing it right.

How festive is Shreveport, LA when it comes to Christmas?

A new study by Lawnstarter says that Shreveport ranks 101st out of the 200 cities surveyed when it comes to being festive for the holidays. Um, excuse me? Sure, we're no Natchitoches, but we do alright... don't we?

Lawnstarter.com looked at things like a city's average snowfall, number of holiday events, Christmas markets, food, and other things to see and do when they ranked the 200 biggest cities in the United States and Shreveport didn't fare so well. We came in 101st out of 200 cities. I think we all know we aren't a winter wonderland, but what about the rest?

Shreveport ranked 187th for 'frolicking,' 46th for 'merrymaking,' 69th for 'entertaining,' 168th for 'eating,' and 130th for shopping. While I can understand some of that, not ranking higher for our food/cuisine is a slap in the face. Louisiana is known worldwide for its delectable eats. But before you get too upset, New Orleans only came in 44th and that's one city that knows how to celebrate! Baton Rouge was ranked 78th.

Apparently, we need a snow machine here in Shreveport. Never mind, someone would just steal it. Ho! Ho! Ho!