It's my favorite time of year! While most of the country has finished packing up their holiday decorations, and their homes have returned to normal, my home has switched from Christmas decor to an explosion of purple, green, and gold. The inflatable nutcracker on my lawn has been replaced by the inflatable Mardi Gras bead dog. We have entered my favorite time of year- Mardi Gras! While images of Mardi Gras may initially conjure up beads, booze, and partying, that’s not the complete picture. The other, more accurate side, is that Mardi Gras is about family and tradition. 

When we first moved to Texas, I remember telling my friends that we were heading back to New Orleans that weekend so our young kids could ride in a Mardi Gras parade. I’ll never forget their look of shock and judgment when they said, “You take your children to Mardi Gras parades!?!” Initially, I didn’t understand why they were so aghast, but now that I see how Mardi Gras is portrayed on TV, it’s understandable. While there definitely can be a lot of partying, that’s just a tiny piece of the Mardi Gras experience. 

My husband and I were born and raised in New Orleans and we have been fortunate enough to have unique experiences with Mardi Gras. My sister and I began riding in Mardi Gras parades at the age of 9; my children began at age 3. In high school, I marched in numerous parades with my school’s dance team, then later became a high school dance team coach and brought my team to march in parades as well. This allowed me to see both sides of the Mardi Gras experience, both as a spectator and a participant. My husband and my son both ride in one of the super krewes on Mardi Gras weekend and my daughter had the amazing honor of being chosen for the royal court of one of the krewes. 

Looking back at pictures of past Mardi Gras seasons, there’s one picture that perfectly sums up the true Mardi Gras experience. In the photo, my daughter is a toddler, all dressed up in purple, green, and gold, and she is being held by her Great Grandmother who is also dressed for the holiday. There’s a parade passing in the background. You can also see aunts, uncles, cousins, both sets of grandparents, next door neighbors, and lots of food. That’s what Mardi Gras is. Picture a tailgate where a parade passes by. You organize with your family and friends and decide where you’re going to stand and what food everyone is bringing. You load up the tents, chairs, speakers, and food and you all meet at the designated area. You hang out with your family/friends all day while watching the parades go by and catching beads. Your kids will inevitably make friends with the kids nearby and there will always be a group of kids throwing a football in the street in between parades. 

While this family side of Mardi Gras is such a huge part, there is still the side that you see on TV- the partying, the booze, etc, however, for the most part, you have to make a conscious effort to get there. What you see on TV is mostly filmed in the French Quarter. Fun fact- Mardi Gras parades don’t ride through the French Quarter. Another interesting tidbit- all the people that you see in the pictures and videos are mostly tourists. Locals don’t usually go down to the Quarter around Mardi Gras. 

So, while our friends and family will be getting together for Mardi Gras parades on February 13, we will be home in Clear Lake. We’ll still wear our Mardi Gras accessories, and eat Popeyes

and king cake, because that’s our tradition. We’ll watch the pageantry of the meeting of the courts of Rex and Comus online and scroll through social media and enjoy everyone’s pictures of their Mardi Gras experiences. The saying is very true, “Everywhere else it’s just Tuesday”. Happy Mardi Gras to you and your family!