A Paris Christmas

Gilles and I spent a wonderful weekend in Paris before my family arrived for Christmas. We had this trip planned for several weeks, but an extended stay in Gabon for Gilles almost canceled our plans. But thanks to a wedged tool in the well, Gilles and I arrived in Paris the same day!

Paris stays true to form and dons a very classy look for the holiday season. No plastic santas or reindeer in this town. The famous department stores of Printemps and Galeries Lafayette were breathtaking. They come alight at night, with my favourite being Printemps which was covered in delicate pink lights. We were shocked with our first look at the interior of Galeries Lafayete. The large Christmas tree hung above the cosmetics department, and reached up for almost four stories. The buzz inside the store was almost as big as that outside, where thousands of people gathered to get a glimpse of the storefront displays. The animated winter scenes had adults and children alike in awe.

The Champs Elysees was beautiful at night with blue lights lining both sides of the street. We had a wonderful (and chilly) bird’s eye view of the City of Lights Christmas-style with a ride on a ferris wheel that was set up at the end of the Champs Elysees.

We managed plenty of shopping, and avoided getting crushed in the busy gastronomic stores like Fauchon. The French were out in full force stocking up on speciality food and wine for the holiday season. We have never seen a store so crazy and chaotic! Oh, and I finally got the Furla handbag that I passed up while we were in Italy. Merry Christmas to me!