For over three decades, Christmas never really meant a day off.

That lesson came early. I was 16 in 1977 when I landed my first tax-paying job at a local radio station. Sunday afternoons were spent in a small booth while the New Orleans Saints played. My job was to play commercials and, once an hour, do a five-second station ID.

“You are listening to WHSY AM, Hattiesburg.”

That was my debut.

Eventually, I moved into weekend shifts. Then came the shift no one wanted: 6 p.m. Christmas Eve to 6 a.m. Christmas morning, followed a week later by New Year’s Eve overnight. In those days, 12-hour shifts were unusual. But I was hungry for airtime, so I took whatever they would give me. I worked those overnight shifts two years in a row – and loved every minute of it.

Those quiet hours shaped how working Christmases felt to me. The holiday wasn’t about time off; it was about showing up. That outlook stuck.

Work has been steady since then. After flunking out of college, I fell into the restaurant business and fell in love with it. Bills needed paying, so any shift was fair game – Christmas Eve and Christmas Day included. When the first restaurants opened – the Purple Parrot Café and the Purple Parrot Grill – we were open on Christmas Eve. Those early years meant 90-hour weeks in the kitchen. We closed on Christmas Day, which felt familiar and reminded me of those radio years.

Eventually, I decided to close on Christmas Eve. By then, I’d cut my schedule closer to 70 hours a week. After a couple of years, that schedule stuck.

Christmas in the restaurant business carries its own energy. Like retail, we’re busier than normal, with private parties filling our rooms. Those parties have always mattered to me. Before owning restaurants, most holiday parties I attended were forgettable. The first fruitcake I ever received went straight out the window.

The Purple Parrot Café opened on Dec. 27, 1987, too busy for a Christmas party, so we made up for it with Christmas in July. That was also when I met my wife. Since then, Christmas parties became non-negotiable.

Christmas shows up differently in each restaurant. The Maple Bar is elegant and understated. Crescent City Grill is festive, Mardi Gras meets North Pole. Loblolly Bakery leans into whimsy with a bakery-themed tree. Ed’s Burger Joint goes retro and tacky.
Tabella keeps it quiet. The Midtowner features the only tinsel tree I’ve seen in years. Décor matters because feeling matters. Restaurants don’t just sell food; they sell moments – and Christmas turns the volume up.

As the season rolls on, gratitude sits front and center – for work, teammates who show up, guests who choose to spend meaningful moments in our rooms, and for the chance to help those in need. Extra Table exists to feed Mississippians facing food insecurity. More information can be found at extratable.org.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas filled with warmth, shared tables, and grateful hearts.

HONEY BUNDT CAKE

Serves 8–10

Rich honey flavor makes this bundt cake perfect for holiday mornings or as a Christmas dessert. The pomegranate glaze adds a bright, tart finish.

Ingredients:
10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups honey
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk

Pomegranate Glaze:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
3–4 tbsp pomegranate juice

Directions:
■ Preheat oven to 325°F.
■ Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add sugars, mix 1 minute.
■ Add eggs one at a time. Mix in honey.
■ Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in separate bowl.
■ On low, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture.
■ Grease and flour a bundt pan thoroughly; pour batter evenly. Let rest 10 minutes.
■ Bake 55–60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes before removing from pan.
■ For glaze, mix confectioners’ sugar with pomegranate juice until desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake. Garnish with pomegranate seeds if desired. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream flavored with honey and vanilla.
■ Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Robert St. John is a restaurateur, author, enthusiastic traveler, and world-class eater from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He has spent four decades in the restaurant industry, written 13 books, and written a syndicated newspaper column for more than 24 years. Read more about Robert at robertstjohn.com.