Holiday Magic in Paris

plus a peek into a family christmas in the countryside

It’s a dream to live in Paris — especially when you get to experience cozy moments around the holidays. There’s a softness to the city that makes me linger a little longer. I’ve been taking pictures of holiday scenes that have made me stop in the middle of the street and I wanted to share them with you. This will be more of a visual diary with a bit of context woven in, but you know I love to yap.

Christmas Tree

One of my favorite Christmas rituals is picking out a tree and decorating it with ornaments. Toward the end of November, I started seeing trees for sale trickling onto the city’s sidewalks. Most were already wrapped in a net, so you could only really see their height and the way it leaned — a first for me.

I had my film camera with me to capture a few snaps from our first tree shopping experience in Paris, but it started raining so I only had time for a few photos to capture the moment.

We ended up walking a bit further from home after I passed a floral shop days earlier with a great selection. We had agreed on a 4 to 5 ft tree but somehow came home with a 6 footer. My husband carried it home on his shoulder — a departure from our US customs where we’d normally strap it to the roof of our car. Next year, we’re taking our dolly!

Below are the ornaments I purchased for our tree this year! You can watch a TikTok of me talking about each one plus a few other things I bought for Christmas, including this incredible ribbon (this one too)!

I aslo couldn’t resist these tiny stockings!

Christmas Markets

We visited a few Christmas markets throughout the month, with my favorite being La Villette in the 19th. There’s an ice rink, a great variety of food stands and lots of charming little stands. My husband had a fantastic time ice skating while I watched safely from the sidelines — I’d certainly spend most of the time on the ground.

I almost took one of these plates home, but it wasn’t 100% what I wanted!

The Tuileries market leans more carnival style with games and rides for kids. It’s definitely a bit more crowded, but you’ll still find the classic seasonal offerings like raclette and tartiflette. Raclette is a must for my sandwich loving husband — you can choose different meats, but it always comes with a generous helping of melted raclette cheese. We skipped tartiflette this year but think of it as potatoes and bacon bits smothered in reblochon cheese.

We also went to a smaller market near Notre Dame which had beautiful stalls and of course, more raclette for my husband to enjoy.

I have yet to try the chestnuts, but there was a line of people waiting for them!

Spotted in Paris

While inflatable decor is common in the US, it’s extremely rare to see it in Paris. When I spotted this Santa on the side of a building I did a double take. I love it when people fully commit to the holiday spirit and this genuinely made me smile.

A fabulous lady walked by me and she had me wishing I had this coat even more.

The rain jackets for the bags! I cannot. It’s so precious.

This bûche de Noël reminded me of a story my mother in law told me of when my husband was just 6 years old. He had a train conductor outfit and he’d give out “tickets” to people at the park!

Lights started going up in mid-November and here are a few I saw around town. The sign on the left translates to “the merchants of Oberkampf wish you a happy holiday.”

It was the weekend before Christmas and as we were running last minute errands, we noticed this person carrying a last minute tree purchase home.

I wanted to take this entire sled with trees home! The holidays made me miss having a porch to decorate.

Constantly stopping to admire the lights!

Christmas Eve

I spent a few hours with Angela Galvez on Christmas Eve. We met up for coffee, wandered through a Christmas market, had truffle pasta, mulled wine and walked along the Seine taking in the cold and the beauty of Paris.

These photos don’t quite capture it, but the sky was putting on quite a show for her arrival. We kept saying how surreal it felt that we were both in Paris on Christmas. Such a special moment to share with a dear friend.

We had ordered a bûche de Noël from Le Jardin Sucré after it was recommended by a family friend. They mentioned a pistachio and orange blossom flavor that sounded divine — and let me tell you, it was fantastic. It’s probably a good thing it’s not available year round because I’d probably become a familiar face at the shop.

left two images via their website | right image via instagram

While he was there, my husband also picked up praline chocolates that were unreal. Next time, I want to try a Jimmy Choco as well. I’m including photos of the website, because the ones I took do not do these desserts justice.

Christmas in the Countryside

We took an early train out of Paris to the countryside to spend some time with my husband’s family. We gathered around a big table for lunches and dinners that stretched on for hours. On the menu: oysters, langoustines, ham, capon, caramelized carrots, clementines and of course, cheese. Wine was also plentiful and so were the chocolates!

not pictured: the cozy fire we’d all gather around | on the right: ham accompanying the langoustine as it cooled off because it’s served cold

the lunch spread!

left: marron glacés (candied chestnuts) | right: I was taught the “correct” way to set a table (there was debate on the “French” way vs the “English” way)

I don’t know if this is specific to my husband’s family, but everyone gifted each other chocolates. By the end, everyone went home with a little assortment. One day at lunch we had “champagne soup” which is quite literally champagne in a bowl with a few extra ingredients. It was a blend of champagne, lemon, oranges, Cointreau and sugar.

one of the petite choux was filled with passion fruit and I may or may not have eaten half of them

Movies

I’ve been scouring the internet for new Christmas themed movies to watch and here are a few new (to me!) favorites I’ve watched this season. In no particular order: The Family Stone (prepare to sob like I did), Serendipity, 4 Christmases (the laugh I needed after The Family Stone), Last Christmas and Joyeux Noël.

Follow me on Instagram and TikTok for more snippets of daily life in Paris. You can also find me on Indyx if you’d like to take a peek at what I’m wearing.

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I hope you had a lovely holiday season and have been able to enjoy some relaxing time in the midst of all the chaos this season brings! I hope you all have a happy new year!

xx Ofelia

Disclaimer: some links are affiliate links, which means I may receive a very small percentage from a sale. As always, anything that is linked are things I either own, recommend or would purchase myself.

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