Bonjour, Friends!

We bundled up our little lion this week and wandered over to Place Vendôme, where the holiday lights turn one of Paris's most refined squares into something magical. The place was designed in the late 1600s by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Louis XIV's architect, as a monument to royal power.

Today, it's home to the Ritz, Cartier, Boucheron, and every other name that makes your credit card nervous.

Luxury shopping isn't really our thing, but during the holidays, Place Vendôme becomes a different kind of spectacle. Multiple Christmas trees wrapped in thousands of lights stand beneath that towering Vendôme Column (which, fun fact, was cast from melted-down cannons Napoleon captured at Austerlitz).

We grabbed a chocolat chaud for our son and a wintery treat for ourselves, and soaked in the scene: the soft glow against the 17th-century facades, the lights, the vintage car parked as if it time-traveled from the 1920s.

On our way, we cut through the Marais and down Rue des Rosiers, the falafel street, in the old Jewish quarter, dodging crowds outside L'As du Fallafel, smelling fresh pita and tahini.

Yesterday I led a walking tour through Montmartre, ending at the Abbesses Christmas Market tucked beneath the hill. It's smaller and more neighborhood-focused than the big tourist markets, which is exactly why I love it.

You get mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, handmade ornaments, and space to walk around, unlike some of the larger markets near the city center.

Paris in December isn't always postcard-perfect. It's cold, it gets dark early, and the rain shows up uninvited. But there's something about the way the city leans into the season. The lights, the markets, the chocolat chaud stands. It feels less like a performance and more like Paris just being itself, only with better lighting.

For those of you celebrating, we wish you a happy Christmas. For everyone else, I hope your holidays, however you spend them, are wonderful and have a little bit of that Parisian glow.

➡️ Where to Eat in Paris During the Holidays – Christmas and New Year’s: HiP Paris lists restaurants open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, from grand brasseries to affordable bouillons.

➡️ Emily Has Remade Paris in Her Image: The New York Times reports that "Emily in Paris" has left its mark on Paris with a prestigious award and new book, plus a fashion innovator discusses AI.

➡️ Review of “Paris à cœur ouvert: Paris in the Raw” by Garrett Strang: FRAMES Magazine reviews Garrett Strang's street photography book "Paris à cœur ouvert: Paris in the Raw," praising his empathetic, kinetic portraits of everyday Parisians beyond the tourist gloss.

➡️ Paris Pastry Chefs Are Crafting Gorgeous Bûche de Noël Creations for Christmas: Food & Wine showcases Paris's most elaborate bûche de Noël creations, from chocolate trees to edible ornaments, crafted by the city's top pastry chefs for Christmas.

Can't make it to Paris this Christmas? Bring Paris to your living room. Here's how to host a holiday gathering that channels this beautiful city, from what Parisians actually drink to the music playing in our apartment right now.

Start with vin chaud (bah oui!), the mulled wine you'll find at every Christmas market in Paris. It's wonderfully simple: red wine, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and a bit of honey or sugar. Simmer it low and slow. The smell alone will transport your guests to the Abbesses market. Here's a solid recipe to follow.

Then there's chocolat chaud, the Parisian version made with real melted chocolate and whole milk. It's thick, rich, and nothing like the powdered mix most of us grew up with. Angelina's is the name everyone knows, but plenty of neighborhood spots make a better version without the tourist crowds. The truth is, you can make this deliciousness at home with good dark chocolate and a little patience. Try this recipe.

Champagne, obviously. You don't need to spend a fortune. Look for grower Champagne (Champagne de vignerons) or try Crémant de Loire or Crémant de Bourgogne for something festive and French without the markup. A Kir Royal (Champagne with a splash of crème de cassis) adds a little color and ceremony to the toast.

The centerpiece is the bûche de Noël. If you're ambitious, bake one. If you're practical, order from a French bakery or a good local pâtisserie. The classic is chocolate or coffee buttercream, but chestnut, praline, and fruit versions are all fair game. It arrives at the end of the meal like a small piece of theater.

Before that, build a proper cheese plate. The French approach is focused rather than sprawling: three to five cheeses work better than a crowded board. Try a soft one (Camembert or Brie), a blue (Roquefort), a hard one (Comté), maybe a goat cheese. Serve them at room temperature with a fresh baguette. Add some fig jam or honey if you want, but let the cheese be the star.

If you're feeling fancy, oysters are a good choice for New Year’s Eve. Served raw, on ice, with lemon and shallot vinegar. It's a whole ritual. If oysters aren't your thing, go with pâté, rillettes, or a good terrine (my favorite, especially with cornichons). Spread it on bread. Pour more wine.

And yes, you need good bread. A baguette from a real bakery makes a difference. If you can't find a proper baguette, look for a bakery that does rustic French loaves. It's worth the extra stop.

Note: If you want to see a French dinner table erupt into passionate debate, just bring up foie gras. Drop the topic and walk away. When you come back thirty minutes later, they'll still be debating.

Parisian holiday decor tends toward the understated: string lights (warm white, not multicolor), candles everywhere (unscented), and fresh greenery like pine branches or eucalyptus. Maybe a small tree. The aesthetic is cozy rather than flashy.

Set the table like you care. Real plates, real glasses, cloth napkins if you have them. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it should feel intentional. There's a French way of making casual feel elegant, and it starts with the table.

Put on Édith Piaf, Serge Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, Charles Aznavour. For something more modern, try Carla Bruni, Zaz, or Stromae. The goal isn't necessarily Christmas music (though "Petit Papa Noël" by Tino Rossi is a classic if you want one). The goal is a soundtrack that feels French, warm, and a little romantic. A good French playlist will do more for the atmosphere than any holiday album.

Here's the thing about Parisian gatherings: they're long. No one's rushing through dinner to get to the next thing. You sit, you talk, you pour another glass, you linger. Courses come slowly. Conversations wander. Kids, typically, are seated at the table with the adults.

There's an art to this kind of night. It's the same spirit as flâner, that uniquely Parisian way of wandering without purpose. At a party, it means letting the evening unfold without forcing it. No agenda, just good food, good wine, and people you want to spend time with.

In a nutshell: Light the candles. Pour the vin chaud. Put on some Gainsbourg. Let the evening stretch out like a walk along the Seine.

And if this makes you want to experience Paris in the flesh? Come visit. Book a tour, and we'll wander together.

Aznavour's voice has this way of making everything feel both grand and intimate at once. "Noël à Paris" captures the city during the holidays with all its contradictions: the lights and the loneliness, the crowds and the quiet moments, the magic and the melancholy.

It's romantic without being sentimental, which is very Parisian. Put this on while you're setting the table or walking through your own neighborhood at dusk, and suddenly, everywhere feels a little more like Paris.