Christmas in Paris

Paris in December is a specific kind of magic — not the springtime Paris of the movies, all blossoms and picnics, but something quieter and more elegant. Festive without being frantic. Twinkling without trying too hard. I went last December, and I’ve been meaning to write about it ever since.

If you’re thinking about a holiday trip to Paris, here’s the thing I’d want someone to tell me: don’t overplan it. The city does the work. You just have to walk.

Avenue Montaigne: Dior’s holiday moment

Start at Dior on Avenue Montaigne. I’m not even the biggest Dior girl — I appreciate it, but I’m not precious about it — and even I had to stop and stare. Their holiday display is a whole production: butterflies, lights, the kind of over-the-top French elegance that should feel excessive and somehow just feels right. Go in the early evening when the lights are on but the crowds haven’t peaked. Take the photo. Everyone does, and for once, everyone is right.

Ice skating at Plaza Athénée

This was the surprise highlight. The Plaza Athénée sets up a little ice skating setup during the holidays, and there’s something deeply charming about skating (or, in my case, wobbling gracefully) in the courtyard of one of Paris’s grandest hotels, with the whole place dressed for Christmas. It’s small, it’s festive, and it feels like a secret even though it’s very much not. If you skate, skate. If you don’t, get a hot chocolate and watch the people who do — equally enjoyable, significantly warmer.

Place Vendôme

Place Vendôme at Christmas is what I picture when someone says “Parisian elegance.” The square gets its own towering tree, the facades of the great jewelers glow, and Louis Vuitton’s holiday windows are worth the stop even if you’re just window shopping (which, let’s be honest, at Place Vendôme prices, most of us are). Walk the full square slowly. Look up. This is one of those places where the second look is better than the first.

The Plaza Athénée tree and the sparkling Eiffel Tower

Back at the Plaza Athénée, the Christmas tree and lights in the courtyard are worth a second visit after dark — everything photographs differently once the sun goes down. And then, because no December evening in Paris is complete without it: find a spot and watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour. I’ve seen it a dozen times and I still stop. Some things don’t get old. The Tower doing its glittery thing over a dark December city, with Christmas lights everywhere below it — that’s the image I carried home with me.

Paris at Christmas is quietly festive and effortlessly elegant — that was my caption at the time, and I stand by it. It’s not the Paris of grand gestures; it’s the Paris of small, perfect ones. A beautiful window display. A wobbly lap around a tiny ice rink. The Tower sparkling while you stand there with cold hands and a full heart.

Go if you can. December is worth it.