There are two major department stores in Paris known world wide for their Christmas displays. This year they chose complete opposite themes for their windows, but both are show stoppers with their animation.
Printemps chose a Russian theme complete with classical Russian music and dancers.
The children were amazed by all the activity and beautiful colors.
My favorite of all the windows I've seen this year, London and Paris both, are the windows at the Galleries Lafayette department store.
Noël Gourmand is their theme, with the bears taking over in a delicious way.
Like "lespetitsenfants," I was enthralled with all their activity.
It only seemed fitting that the bears would have sweets on their mind in this season of the year.
Enjoy the 30 second video below which is just a small peek into all the animation.
Spending the week before Christmas in London, Aberdeen and Paris provided so many opportunities to see the spirit of Christmas as it unfolded around the world. For the moment, I'd like to share are few pictures of some signs of Christmas near our home in Chelsea, in the heart of London. Sloane Square is the hub of activity, and there you find the Peter Jones department store, a well loved department store which has been on that site since 1877. The interior was beautiful this year with silver, white and azure balls hanging from the sixth floor through the center of the store.
Inside the children's department, is a British mail box
where the children could drop their letters to Father Christmas until December 11. Guess he'd be too busy working on those lists after that date to be reading more letters!
Across the street, I bumped into Father Christmas himself, and his sidekick, waiting for children to stop by at The General Trading Company. In England, as in many European countries, Father Christmas always receives the children in his grotto. The tradition of children visiting Santa in a cavern like area began in Britain in 1879, and spread to Australia and America in the 1890's.
I was inside the house last Thursday when I kept hearing music, so I grabbed my camera and leaned outside the front door to catch this photo of 2 musicians entertaining the boys and girls as they left school for the day.
Soon after they left, the snowflakes began to fall.
And one of my favorite Christmas views of all is always at Sloane Square, where the magical star-lights in the trees and the streams of lights hanging from the Peter Jones store
illuminate the square and transform it into a dream world where wishes sometimes come true.
In order to have a "proper" English Christmas, there should be several things on your list.
Crackers should be on the top of every one's list. They come in all colors,
sizes,
and price ranges. Filled with collectibles, trinkets, jokes and a crown hat, two people pull on each end until a loud pop is heard--somewhat like a cap gun. Can't have a dinner or party without them.
If you're looking for the perfect gift, you might consider purchasing a hamper.
Filled with all sorts of delectable treats, they are a welcome gift to anyone on your list.
Christmas puddings can be home made or store bought. They are comparable to a fruit cake,
and have a shelf life of a year of more. Made of dried fruit, nuts and usually some brandy to preserve them, they are a very popular dessert for Christmas dinner. The best one I sampled this year was a cranberry and white chocolate one that was a twist on the traditional recipe.
Also on the dessert list would be mince pies which date back to the Middle Ages. Filled with mincemeat, they are typically small and for individual servings.
And by all means, don't forget the turkey, which is the common centerpiece of the Christmas meal. Make a list-check it twice. Happy eating!
The food, especially the sweets in Paris, are such eye candy. Let's face it, the French defined the concept of "presentation" when it comes to food, and each time we visit, I'm always in awe of the foods we see as we stroll the streets. These macarons at Ladurée, one of my favorite treats, are even golden this holiday season.
Within the silhouette of a pastry called a religieuse, are more macarons to tease us as we pass by. They entice you and delight you, saying come in, get out of the cold, stand in this long line to order some. We're worth it!
Even the hip concept store, Colette, has jumped into the Macaron craze, and is displaying cones or trees of macarons in their window.
How about these éclairs with Mona Lisa eyes at Fauchon? They follow you as you pass by trying to resist.
And these are the new Bridget Bardotéclairs for the Christmas season.
On the streets you smell chestnuts roasting,
and even find salmon smoking at the German markets along with all sorts of food to eat on the go.
Chocolate shops abound--a very popular gift at Christmas
Who on your Christmas list would like a chocolate stiletto?
If not chocolates, then how about candied fruit?
A rainbow of jams and jellies at Hédiard, one of the premiere grocers in Paris near the Madeleine.
It wouldn't be Christmas without ordering a BûchedeNoël or Yule log. Typically they look like the small one here to represent the log that was traditionally burned on the hearth on Christmas Eve.
This year we saw some very different interpretations of this traditional dessert.
And for the first time that I can remember, Paris has caught the cupcake craze. Save your euros though, because this super size cupcake in front is 41 euros--that's about $60 now. Granted it's enough to share, but it does make having a cupcake a very, very special occasion. But, when you think about it, what's more special than Christmas?
I checked something off my bucket list this week. Mike and I took the Eurostar train through the Chunnel to Paris for two days this week, so that we could soak up the Christmas spirit there in the city. I have several things to share with you, but for this first post about Paris, I'll just give you some of my quick impressions.
Bumping into Pere Noel was an early treat, and got us going on the right track in our search for the quintessential French Christmas adventure.
We saw big Christmas trees like this one in front of Notre Dame Cathedral,
and small, delicate trees like this one we spied in a store window. I quite fancy this one!
The landmarks were all lit up in celebration. Notre Dame as seen here,
and L'Hotelde Ville, the city hall, where there is an ice rink located just in front.
The store windows were all dressed up in their finery,
with natural branches being a popular form of decoration,
in all colors, even red.
My favorite patisserie shop selling its infamous macarons was all ready for the holiday. Wish I could bring home samples for everyone!
French children, like children all over the world, love the animation in store windows,
and crowded close for the best view. More of these windows in a blog to come.
They were so lively!
Inside the beautiful Galeries Lafayette department store,
is an enormous Christmas tree,
reaching for the beautiful glass ceiling,
where presents are suspended in mid air.
Restaurants showed off their holiday spirit,
and even though the temperatures were at the freezing point that day, the sidewalk cafes still enticed some to pause for a coffee.
This little Christmas tree was begging to be taken home and decorated.
German Christmas markets were located in several parts of town for our shopping pleasure,
and Santa's helpers were handing out gifts.
That evening, we headed down to the Place de la Concorde, to get a close-up
view of the ferris wheel and spy the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Looking down the
Champs-Elysees, this is what we saw. Stay tuned for more sights of Paris!
Juggling life in two cities is my challenge for this season of my life. Every month, my husband and I go back and forth between Houston, our hometown, and London for his job. Each city has its treasures. London: adventure, history, curiosities, friends and a son and daughter-in-law.
Houston:son and daughter-in-law, grandchildren, and long-time friends. It's the best of times.
Posts
