Bonjour, Friends!

We spent the Christmas holiday away from the city this year, trading the Haussmann rooftops for the rolling hills of Burgundy. Our bedroom window looked out over frosted fields and quiet stone houses, a view that felt worlds away from the usual morning rush of Paris.

We spent our afternoons wandering through local villages where the only sound was our own footsteps. In one square, we found a clever little outdoor library built into an old wooden spool. The French love for a good book follows you everywhere, apparently.

The highlight of our holiday, for our little lion, was definitely Christmas Day at the lake. He got to experience his first real snowball fight (although Laura didn’t put up much of a fight), and he had a much better arm than we expected. Even the dog seemed to appreciate the change of scenery, exploring the long wooden bridges and the dusting of snow on the grass.

This is a shorter issue than usual while we finish up our time with family, but we will be back to our normal routine next week.

As we look toward the end of the year, I keep thinking about this famous Jack Kerouac quote, though I like to tweak the ending a bit: “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Plan that trip to Paris!”

Here’s his original text:

We hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve. Our wish for all of you in 2026 is that you get to visit Pars. We look forward to seeing you on the streets here soon!

➡️ 33 Winter Travel Deals to Scoop Up Before December Ends: Condé Nast Traveler rounds up 33 winter travel deals across flights, trains, tours, hotels, and cruises, with discounts on everything from Air France fares to Europe to Amtrak's national park packages.

➡️ The French Culture Paradox: Why Opposites Create Perfect Harmony: Aller France explores how French culture thrives on contradictions, from collective pessimism paired with personal happiness to revolutionary spirit coexisting with a desire for strong leadership, arguing these paradoxes create the nation's distinctive harmony.

➡️ It’s unrealistic, ludicrous and completely ridiculous, which is exactly why I love Emily in Paris: Harper's Bazaar UK editor Lydia Slater confesses her unexpected love for Emily in Paris, calling it irresistible "ambient TV" that offers stress-free escapism despite its unrealistic portrayal of Paris and fashion industry clichés.

➡️ New Year's Eve 2026 show and fireworks at the Arc de Triomphe: Paris Je T'aime announces the Champs-Élysées New Year's Eve celebration featuring a sound and light show on the Arc de Triomphe, a midnight countdown, and an eight-minute fireworks display with 3,386 fireworks set to French artists like Juliette Armanet and Clara Luciani.

If you're looking for something to play while you toast the New Year, here's a classic. Joe Dassin's "Les Champs-Élysées" isn't technically a New Year's song, but it shows up at many French celebrations. It's catchy, nostalgic, and impossible not to sing along to, even if your French is rusty. Consider it the soundtrack to optimism.