As more businesses open along St. Claude Avenue and in Marigny and Bywater, shopping locally for the holidays just makes sense. Other small cities can only dream about what we take for granted in our downtown neighborhoods just outside the French Quarter.

The eclectic and growing mix of shops, galleries and restaurants has made Marigny/Bywater a destination that has the New York Times and bloggers taking notice but for those of us who live here, it is simply our home.

Despite i...