It is impossible to capture the essence, tolerance, and spirit of south Louisiana in words.
The longer you live in New Orleans, the more unfit you become to live anywhere else.
Do what you do. This Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve, Twelfth Night, Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, St. Paddy's Day, and every day henceforth. Just do what you do. Live out your life and your traditions on your own terms. If it offends others, so be it. That's their problem.
A New Orleans credo: When life gives you lemons--make daiquiris.
If you cannot improve upon the silence, do not speak.
Everybody here has a story. New Orleans was always a place where people talked too much even if they had nothing to say. Now everyone's got something to say.