Paris then Strasbourg or vice versa?

I see that there's a TGV train leaving Strasbourg at 5:59am on 12/27, arriving at CDG at 7:56. Even if you are two hours late, you'd still arrive in plenty of time to make your flight. Even the 7:31 train getting in at 9:28 is probably early enough.

Sure, things happen, there's always some chance you'll miss your flight home, even if you stay in Paris. Your chances are probably higher if you stay in Strasbourg. What happens then? Do you have trip delay insurance? Is it a catastrophe if you arrive home even a day late? Best to ask yourself these questions no matter what to have backup plans, just in case.

do you foresee any issues if we took the train to CDG on the morning of our departure to catch a 1:30pm flight on 12/27?

There is always a risk to be so far from the airport before an intercontinental flight, no matter the time of year. Any sort of hiccup in the train system can put your return in jeopardy. Being in Paris the night before is a whole lot safer.

There is an 11:22 am TGV from the airport to Strasbourg which you should be able to make.

I would do neither of the plans you suggested.

Travelling in December it's entirely possible your arrival in CDG will be delayed. Not in CA (always sunny and clear out here!) but your plane might be coming from some place beset by bad weather, or there may be delays in landing at CDG due to weather there. The way I think of international flights, you're highly likely to arrive on the scheduled day but the time is more of a random variable. Since there is a full day in which you might arrive (rather than a 9pm scheduled arrival which might end up being 1am) I'd be happy to take a train for which I could purchase a reasonably-priced walk-up ticket such as if I was going to Rouen. But TGV walkup tickets are pricy, nor would I want to bet on making a pre-purchased train to Strasbourg not too long after my scheduled arrival. Neither would I want to spend several hours sitting in a train station waiting for a later train pre-purchased with a generous padding of time. So in your shoes I'd head into Paris at whatever time you arrive at CDG, drop my bags, and start my vacation.

Second, I would never bet international tickets for a family of 5 on taking a train from a distant city the morning of my flight. Maybe you're more of a gambler than I am, though. If it were me I'd take an afternoon train back to Paris the day before the flight out. Or given you have 8 days maybe spend some of them in Paris, do a 2-day trip out of town to Strasbourg, then return for a few more days in Paris.

Strasbourg is a wonderful city although we've only been there during the summer. Given its location you might want to consider staying there even longer and doing a daytrip someplace in Germany such as Freiburg to see the Xmas market.

I personally like being close to.airport the night before our flight. We just came thru CDG and it was a breeze. Also every train we took was on time or a few minutes early. That made travel so easy. In England on train from Edinburgh to London we were delayed twice, once for a track problem and an hour later someone had been hit by a train. So you never know and have to be prepared for the consequences of missing your flight.

One potential problem with coming from Strasbourg the morning of your flight is that while Strasbourg is "close" to Paris by TGV (two hours), by road it is about 300 miles and takes at least five hours.

So if there were to be a problem with the train and you needed an alternate way to Paris on the morning of your flight, you would be way too far away to be able to make it on time in a hastily rented vehicle or via bus (presuming buses exist on that route and you could obtain five tickets).

Yes, usually trains are on time and reliable. But there is always the risk of a delay due to a strike, mechanical issues, hitting a cow, etc. It depends on your level of appetite of risk, but with five walk-up one-way trans-Atlantic tickets to purchase in the case of a problem with the train, I would stay in Paris the night before my flight instead of 300 miles away.

I wouldn’t be comfortable spending the last night in Strasbourg. If you want to do Paris first, I would leave Strasbourg in the late evening on the 26th and sleep near the airport. You won’t be doing any sightseeing on the morning if your flight, regardless.

But considering that many shops and restaurants will close early on 12/24, be closed on 12/25, and many in Alsace will also be closed on 12/26, I would go to Strasbourg first. Plan those last days in Paris carefully, especially around food. You’ll probably have more options available in Paris than you would in Strasbourg. Be sure to check out the Christmas markets in Strasbourg and Colmar. They end on 12/24. Expect it to be challenging and expensive to find lodging. You’ll need an apartment or two rooms.

I very much agree with your husband. When I have a transatlantic flight home, I stay near the airport. There can always be rail problems and you don’t want the stress of missing your flight and buying last-minute tickets one way to your local CA airport for the next day’s flight assuming there are seats available on the following flight. Obviously, you’ll have to pay for another hotel night.

With a 1:30 PM flight, you need to be at CDG at 9:30 AM.

Thank you everyone for your feedback. Will definitely take your suggestions into consideration.

I would definitely go to Strasbourg first, because if you go last, you will miss most of the Xmas markets! Many of them close on 24 Dec around noon. Getting to Strasbourg on arrival day should be easy.
Also, I think you could spend 3 nights in Strasbourg, because with the markets, you'll want to have a day each in Strasbourg and Colmar.

Balso - thank you and I agree with heading to Strasbourg first especially when we can't check into our hotel until 2/3pm. Might as well use some of that time to travel. The Christmas market is on our list but so naive of me to assume it would be open on xmas day and the day after. Glad to learn this while in the early stages of planning....