If I lived in Europe, I could walk from my house to a historic cathedral as beautiful as St. Mary’s. And I could, perhaps, hear a choir, but it would not be the rousing and wonderful Alcorn choir.

If I lived in Savannah, I could see gracious antebellum and Victorian houses decked out for Christmas, but I could not see the whimsical, gorgeous collection of jewelry on display at the Towers.

If I lived in New Orleans, I could take an evening carriage ride but it would not be at the same relaxed pace or bathed in the warm glow of our sunset and cozy warmth of our small city.

For many people the very best thing about enjoying our hometown holiday events is the beauty of Natchez itself. We promote our historic sights and gracious way of life to tourists — why not enjoy them as much as our visitors? Many of us have lived in places where crime is part of the everyday tapestry of life, where sunsets are chemically altered, where houses have a suburban sameness, and where no one speaks or tips their hat on the sidewalk —where there are no sidewalks! Lucky for us, we live in one of the most beautiful, safe and well preserved towns in America.

In this era of online shopping and 3-D animated Scrooges it can be hard to find any old-fashioned holiday cheer. But there is one place you can enjoy the true meaning of Christmas — right here in your own backyard. Natchez may be a small town but it has a big holiday spirit. While we don’t have a Macy’s or a three-story mall or an ice skating rink, we do have a lot of friendly genuine people eager to share the holiday spirit and a schedule of events so full that you can experience your home town holiday almost everyday.

From Christmas Blues and a pub crawl to high tea and hot chocolate; from a Catholic choir to a Pentecostal program; the events planned from now until Jan. 3 are as diverse as they are plentiful.

In other words, this Christmas season in Natchez there is something for everyone. Look for the schedule of events in The Natchez Democrat in Tracings and on the Life page every Wednesday.

Go online to www.natchezpilgrimage.com and www.visitnatchez.org or call 601 446-3361 for information and tickets.

We often remark how unique our city is — “only in Natchez,” is a phrase I have heard all of my life.

And only in Natchez will you find this wonderful mixture of Christmas magic!

Courtney Taylor works at Natchez Pilgrimage Tours.