10 cup o' culture christmas

before i leave.
this would be appropriate considering the time of year. 
sorry no pictures, but this post could visuals. 

1. there are hanging lights in pretty much every neighborhood.  think about the shopping centers with their pole decorations, except imagine that they are old parisian buildings and that there are lights strung from one building to another in the center of every town.  paris is very organized with the districts, arrondisments.  within each district there are major “places,” kind of like in italy, but there are actually stores and such there.  they are the center of the neighborhood, but there are many towns in one district, but still in the city of paris.  

2. no christmas cards.  maybe christmas cards, but not where half of your friends are sending updates and photos of your family. i seriously did not see any christmas cards like the ones in the states, but i will not say that they do not exist. 

3. stores are just as busy and packed with people. 

4. hot wine and alcoholic cider. 

5. trees are placed in a makeshift stump, a tree trunk cut in half, with a drill hole in it where the actual christmas tree is placed.  no water for the trees and they dry out quicker. trees are smaller, less decorated, but just as nice.  

6.  marchés du noel. 

7. more blue lights (like the ones at disneyland) than the white ones.  you dont find houses lined with lights.  thinking about that is just weird.  

8. sales everywhere, just the same. 

9. no carollers, but lots of churches have christmas specials, mostly classical and gospel choirs.  i like that. 

10. break out the mega ferris wheel down the champs-eylsées. 

 

ill try to find pictures from people, but right now as i write, i am tired and need to clean and sleep before leaving for fresno. 

bonnes vacances! bonne fete! joyeux noel.