December in Paris: 12 Things to do

The first thing in December that’s very fun to see, is my bunny eating our Christmas tree:

The second thing in December that’s very fun to see…

Nevermind. Too much effort to do the 12 days of Christmas 😛

But here are a few things that I think you should do if you’re in Paris this holiday season:

# 12: Go to your neighborhood Christmas party.  Ours is called “Féeries d’Auteuil” and will be held December 6th-14th, 11am-7pm, 40 rue Jean de La Fontaine – 75016 Paris.

Edouard carrying our tree home this year : )

#11: Check out the windows at “Les Grands Magasins.” Every year Les Galeries Lafayette & Printemps (Metro Chaussée d’Antin – La Fayette) put on amazing displays in their windows.  There’s always a crowd but the weekends are the worst.  Try to go during the week if you want time to admire the beautiful decorations and space to take pictures.

Printemps Dec. 2010

Printemps Nov. 2014

Window display 2010

#10: Since you’re there, go inside Les Galeries Lafayette and check out the giant Christmas tree.  With the glorious glass dome ceiling as a backdrop, the tree looks spectacular.  This year they did something really special: click here to see.

Christmas Tree Galeries Lafayette 2010

#9: Go to La Grande Épicerie de Paris (Next to Le Bon Marché, Metro Sèvres – Babylone) and buy yourself a delicious treat.  Or better yet, get some of that holiday shopping out of the way! You’re sure to find something that will please your friends and family.  How about a nice bottle of champagne? If you don’t want to go that far, Les Galeries Lafayette has an épicerie too (it was redone this year and is now in the building “Galeries Lafayette Maison”)

# 8: Hang out at Montmartre: Walk up toward the Sacré-Cœur stop at a piano bar, and drink a savory “chocolat chaud” (hot chocolate).  You deserve it after all those steps.

Piano Bar address:

Le Tire-Bouchon
9 rue Norvins – 75018 Paris

Piano Bar Montmartre

#7: Invite your friends for a raclette! (Typical French dinner in the winter time).

We bought our own machine so we can do it at home, BUT there are restaurants that have raclette too! Here’s one that has really good reviews:

Les Fondus de la Raclette
107 avenue Parmentier – 75011 Paris

Stay tuned because I have a raclette planned for this weekend so I’m sure I’ll blog about it

#6: Burn off all that holiday food you’ve been eating – Go ice skating at Hotel de Ville! It opens December 19th, and only costs 5 euros to rent skates.  Hours: Mon &Thurs 12pm-10pm, Tues & Wed 10am-10pm, Fri & Sat 10am-Midnight.

Edouard & I ice skating at Hotel de Ville in 2012

#5: Take a ride on La Grande Roue de la Concorde (Giant Ferris Wheel).  I am terribly scared of heights so this one isn’t exactly my cup of tea… BUT, it’s only up until mid-February so if you’re braver than me, this will give you an amazing view of the city.

Grande Roue from the Champs-Élysées 2012

#4: If you’ve never checked out “La Defense,” now wouldn’t be a bad time to stop by!  There, you’ll find a huge shopping mall with several levels of stores – they’re even open on Sundays! (a rarity here in France).  When you step outside the mall, you should see a cute little Christmas Village or “Marché de Noel.”  Go buy some saucisson.

#3: Head to the Champs-Élysées to admire all the flashy lights – I hear the decorations this year are truly magical!

Champs-Élysées 2012

#2: Since you’re at the Champs-Élysées, you NEED to do the Marché de Noel here as well.  Eat some tartiflette. Buy some churros.  And definitely buy some vin chaud.

Marché de Noel 2012

Tartiflette!

#1: Share everything on this list with someone you love.  Paris can be magical this time of year, but sharing these moments with a friend or loved one is the most wonderful gift of all : )

Edouard & I in front of Printemps (2014)