U.S. Differences Reflected in Christmas Celebrations Special

In Portland, Oregon everyone looks forward to the Christmas tree lighting on Pioneer Square, signaling the coming of Christmas. Natchitoches, Louisiana Christmas traditions bring huge crowds. But the celebrations in each community are very different.

A trip by a transit train to downtown Portland from the Beaverton - Portland Southwest area takes less than ten minutes, even during the busy holiday rush. The lighting of the Christmas tree brought crowds to the downtown area. Sidewalks surrounding Pioneer Square were filled with throngs of folks who stood in the nighttime chill just to be there the moment the Christmas tree lights went on in the tradition of Portland for years. Parents with children atop shoulders stood silently, patiently as teenagers bumped through lines to find their way to the front. People with disabilities, in wheelchairs, were given a wide berth to get through for a good spot somewhere. Digital Journal was out in the crowd, to capture for readers everywhere the true meaning of Christmas in one of the flagship cities of the Northwest. On several corners near the tree lighting area, folks gathered with protest signs, declaring their non support of the Mideast War and the Barack Obama message. Nearby others sat with drums, beating out some message that had its own code for the faithful. Music from center stage piped to the audience came in waves, not of wonder and delight, but of sounds of rap and rock with words so confused or abused, no Christmas message delivered. The moment came, to set the stage for the season. A solitary tree laden with lights and little else, the size one might consider for a local Masonic Lodge but scarcely for city celebration, seemed somehow intimately linked with drums and messages less of Christmas than of causes instead. It was clearly a contrast from celebrations in a small Southern Louisiana town.

Carol Forsloff

Tree lighting on Pioneer Square in Portland, Oregon

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Every year thousands of people come from all over the world to celebrate the Christmas season in Natchitoches, Louisiana. This town, located in the north central section of the State, puts on a fine display, so fine that local folks and visitors alike exclaim about its wonder. Millions of lights line the city streets. Huge, intricate displays of Christmas scenes, all lit with colors of myriad hues reflect on the lake that runs through town, then bounce across the sky in a fashion to rival heaven's own stars. This year was no exception. The crowd was smaller than it usually is at the Christmas season, according to Amy Hicks, proprietor of a local gift shop on the main street of Natchitoches. Nevertheless, her shop did a brisk business. Temperatures fell to 29 degrees, and half the number of visitors who ordinary arrive for Christmas Festival came to the town this year. But the lights, the displays and the celebrations remained the same. Hicks said, "We did all right. Some of the other businesses may have had struggles, but we had plenty of people. Christmas is always a good time for us, and it has been again this year." Dolores Blalock, a local resident born and raised in a town not far from Natchitoches, declared, "No one can beat Natchitoches for Christmas. The fireworks the weekends before were just spectacular. Natchitoches really has a special way of celebrating Christmas, and it is really beautiful. Digital Journal has witnessed the Natchitoches Christmas celebrations that take place from mid November through the end of the first week in January. Descriptions of celebrations this year, as well as those witnessed in years past, stand in stark contrast to the Portland opening of the season, as a reminder of some of the cultural and political differences even in the holiday season events. The pictures from the Digital Journal archives show some of those differences indeed.