Wetlands are important to our communities for a variety of reasons. They help to absorb flood waters, buffer our coast against hurricanes and provide habitat to seafood species – just to name a few. They are not just environmentally significant, though. Wetlands also play a huge cultural role in society here on the Mississippi and Alabama gulf coasts. This is particularly true this time of the year.
The holiday season is finally upon us and even though there will not be snow, our wetlands provide us with lots of opportunity for a uniquely coastal kind of holiday cheer!
Our coastal wetlands serve as inspiration for a variety of holiday traditions. I grew up in and around New Orleans and have some Cajun heritage. One of my favorite holiday traditions growing up was when my dad would read “A Cajun Night Before Christmas” to me and my sister every Christmas Eve.
As the name suggests, it is a Cajun twist on the classic poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore that takes place entirely in a Louisiana swamp. Santa’s red suit is replaced by a muskrat suit and instead of reindeer pulling him in a sleigh, he has alligators pulling him in a skiff! It is undeniable that wetlands play a heavy role in the creation of this Louisiana classic.
Holiday dishes often include Gulf seafood
Another way that wetlands play a central role in our holidays is the food. My family almost always had oyster dressing as part of the holiday meal. As wetlands play an important role in providing habitat for oysters as they grow, we would not have such a dish without them! Likewise, many people incorporate seafood into their holiday meals in other dishes.
Wetlands are a holiday venue
Each holiday season on the coast, we also have events that take place in the wetlands. The foremost of these being the Christmas boat parades that are held on rivers, bayous and other waterways across the Gulf Coast. Every year, people around the coast gather to see festive boat owners decorate their vessels with Christmas lights and glide past.
These events are often a gathering place for families and communities that involve music, food and decoration contests. You can still catch the “Christmas on the Bayou” in Gulfport, Mississippi, on Dec. 12 (more information can be found here)! On the Alabama coast, Bellingrath Gardens has an annual display of lights that incorporates some wetland imagery throughout including wetland animals like crabs and alligators and plants such as water lilies. This display, “Magic Christmas in Lights,” runs through Jan. 3, so there’s still time to see it!
Wetlands host migrating holiday visitors
Lastly, because of our mild winters here on the coast, our wetlands play vital roles in winter bird migrations. This time of the year is the perfect time to break out the binoculars and visit your local wetland. Due to the migrations, you may see birds that you would not normally see, and because the wetland plants thin out over winter, birds are even easier to spot! With the holiday breaks that many of us have from school and work, going birdwatching in a nearby wetland might just be the perfect family excursion for 2020!
Whether you are eating food that grew up in the wetlands, watching decorated boats motor down a bayou or enjoying feathered visitors during their winter layovers, our coastal wetlands certainly make for a unique holiday season on the Gulf Coast!
Meet the author
Sara Martin
Wetland Specialist, Mississippi State University
Sara Martin is a wetland specialist and extension associate with the Program for Local Adaptation to Changing Environments and the Mississippi State University (MSU) Coastal Research and Extension... Read more
Phone: 228-546-1016
Email: [email protected]