| By Ramon Antonio Vargas 'This is good for your soul': Hurricane Ida destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced thousands of those living in St. John the Baptist Parish. But Thanksgiving gave many people there the first moment to catch their breath and reflect amid a months-long struggle to rebuild homes and battle with insurance companies or FEMA for aid, our Matt Sledge reports. Said one member of a family passing out pallets of food: “We have a lot on our plate, but this is good for your soul.”
Gator stroll: Louisiana’s 60-foot “Celebration Gator” made its debut as the longest float ever in the Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. Oscar-winning musician Jon Batiste performed on the float, which is going to be in the parade for the next three years, thanks to $1.375 million spent by Louisiana officials. If you didn’t watch the parade on TV but want to see the float, our Chelsea Shannon has you covered.
An overnight standoff: A man who locked himself into a home in New Orleans East during a police standoff that lasted from Wednesday night into Thursday morning appeared to have gone on the run with two children, according to officials. Robert Moody, 47, was being sought for counts of domestic abuse and aggravated assault, police said.
We hope you had the best Thanksgiving yet, but that it was nothing compared to the ones that are yet to come. Keep up with everything that's going on in the Crescent City all day long on NOLA.com, and take advantage of our best Black Friday special by subscribing: $1 a month for four months of local journalism from The Times-Picayune. RAV | 
