Christmas Is Upon Us-Parisian Style

I believe again. I believe Santa Clause exists. I believe little elves work in Santa's factory and help put together all of our presents. I believe in Christmas again.

I'm not necessarily a fan of Christmas. My favorite holiday is hands down Thanksgiving. I think this is because I'm an adult. I know what I'm getting for Christmas, and most of the time, I don't even want nor need anything.  At home, we eat  dinner together on Christmas eve and then watch movies. Nothing special. I think the next time I'll probably enjoy Christmas will be when I have a family of my own. NYE is not much better either.

Nonetheless, up to this point, NYC had set the bar for what Christmas should be like. NYC is, without a doubt, a magical place around Christmas. The tree located at the Rockefeller Center, the ice skating rink or the window displays on Fifth Avenue can easily brighten your day. That's a pretty high bar, if you ask me.

However, Christmas in Paris is the real deal. There is a Christmas market or Les Villages De Noel located in Champ Elysse. It is a magical place. There are dozens of booths along the main road leading to the Arc de Triomphe. Did I mention it is a magical place? A Santa Clause here, a reindeer there, an elf over here. It makes you feel like a kid again. Most importantly, everyone is in a happy mood there. I vouch for that. Kids running around, enjoying the small mechanical zoo. Adults eating churros with Nutella, and other adults sipping on hot wine. Magical.

It goes without saying that Paris also cares about their environmental footprint. There is a wind turbine installed in the center of Champ Elysse and many solar panels that one could only assume help create all the electricity needed to power up all the  Christmas lights. Very thoughtful of them. Good job, Paris!