Everyone's got Thanksgiving traditions and Mark Normand is no different, only his trip home includes a stand-up performance that's gotten bigger and bigger with time.

Why it matters: Normand is a New Orleans-born comedian whose profile has risen steadily thanks to a Netflix special last year, his own podcasts, and guest appearances on nightly talk shows.

Zoom in: Normand returns home again this week with a stop at the Orpheum on Saturday — and a seat at dinner with his mom, Southern Food and Beverage Museum founder Liz Williams, for Thanksgiving.

State of play: Williams joined the illustrious list of Axios New Orleans readers who brag about their cool kids when she suggested we write about her son.

• Forget PR teams! Y'all are much better at giving us story ideas.

You could say Normand has been perfecting his craft since at least high school.

• He was voted class clown at De La Salle before he graduated in 2001, he tells Axios New Orleans, and was soon performing on stages locally before he failed out of UNO. ("I was a booze bag," he explains.)
• Eventually, Normand found his focus, and it took him to New York about two decades ago.

The move paid off. By 2011 and 2012, he was on up-and-comer lists from Comedy Central and Esquire.

• His homecoming shows at Thanksgiving have changed too, he says, since his "heckle fest" days when friends would give him a hard time at Howlin' Wolf.

What we're watching: Normand's got two TV show ideas in the works, he says, and the material from his current tour will likely feed another hourlong special for release next summer.

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Louisiana lawmakers ended their third special session of the year last week with updates to the state's tax code that hand Gov. Jeff Landry a win while also changing how the state collects revenue to pay its bills.

Why it matters: Louisiana has the highest sales tax in the country, and it's about to get higher when it crosses 10% for many in the state.

Louisiana's tax law saw a flurry of changes, according to the Louisiana Illuminator. They included:

• Flattening the state's currently tiered income tax brackets to 3% across the board, as of Jan. 1, 2025.
• Expanding the standard deduction for individuals to $12,500 beginning in 2026.
• Ending the corporate franchise tax, and flattening the corporate income tax to a single 5.5% rate.
• Taxing digital products, like streaming services.
• Growing the state sales tax, currently at 4.45%, to 5% for five years before dropping it to 4.75%.

The intrigue: Landry's plan originally sought to make a controversial, soon-to-expire .45-cent sales tax permanent, but lawmakers made the state sales tax code edits in "closed-door negotiations" in the session's 11th hour.

• When parish and state taxes are combined, many people in Louisiana will pay more than 10% in local sales tax next year, the Illuminator reports.

What's next: Because some of the changes lawmakers approved make edits to the state constitution, voters will have to give their OK in a March election.

Go deeper to see those changes

📺 The New Orleans-shot episodes of Gordan Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" will start airing on Fox on Jan. 1. The season ties in the restaurant industry's prep for Super Bowl LIX. (Deadline)

🔎 As controversy shadows Mayor Cantrell's second term, her circle of trusted advisers has shrunken and left her isolated. (The Times-Picayune 🔒)

📉 Worthy of your time: In a blog post, New Orleans crime data analyst Jeff Asher dug into why crime here is plunging so dramatically. He writes that it might have more to do with national trends, and Troop NOLA might be getting outsized credit. (Jeff-alytics)

🧑‍⚖️ A judge temporarily stopped sweeps of New Orleans' homeless encampments as city and state officials continue to spar over how to manage the city's unhoused population. (Fox 8)

🍴 Cookbook author Caroline Chambers was in town for a book release event last week. She shared her favorite stops and a perfectly accurate take on when and how to say New Orleans/N'awlins/NOLA. (Instagram)

Hosting for the holidays? A festive tablescape, a burning fireplace and plenty of snacks ensure your guests walk into a five-star experience, HGTV "Bargain Block" designer Keith Bynum tells Axios.

Between the lines: The network has a new spinoff series, "Bargain Block: New Orleans."

What we're hearing: This fall "is all about ornamental fungi," Bynum says.

• For an on-trend tablescape, use your uncarved pumpkins for centerpieces. Layer the look with moss and mushroom table toppers for the ultimate festive and foraged look.

Zoom out: Planning is key to avoiding added stress, says HGTV designer Jasmine Roth.

🛏 Be a guest in your own home. If you have a guest room, stay in it for a night before everyone arrives. You might realize you need a phone charger or hooks for towels.

⏲️ Cook ahead of time. Pre-make a signature cocktail and an easy appetizer that you can set out right before guests arrive.

🖍 Have a kids' activity. You can set up a coloring station at the kids' table, or hand each little one a goody bag.

More tips and see the before/after photos of their New Orleans projects