Christmas things in Paris - when

It will get dark quite early in Paris in November and so you will have plenty of time to see pretty lights. We should wait for one of our Paris residents to tell us whether Christmas decorations are up by November and in order to answer your question they will need to know what part of November you are talking about.

Louise -

The sun is down in Paris during November between 16h30 and 17h - Sun is up around 08h to 8h30. So daylight is minimal and the weather can be quite cold as there is so little sun - rainy days can seem a bit drab.

Christmas really gets into full swing around towards the last weeks in November and increases weekly. However, the amount of decorations can vary year to year. This year in particular was a huge success with about 100 streets within Paris proper decorated with street lights. Some say it is only because of municipal elections in March - I like to think it to be a trend to continue on.

Starting early in December, the big department stores, Printemps & Galeries Laffayette, are ablaze with Christmas lights, the like of which I have never seen elsewhere ! You will, I guarantee, take a zillion photos, as I did. The windows of both stores are wonderful story lands for children, and there are always small ones with their noses pressed against the glass. There are even little platforms for the smaller ones to stand on. At Hotel de Ville, an ice skating rink is constructed for all to use, and there are igloos, "snow" hills, etc., to complete the wintry scene. December in Paris is the best !

I was there immediately after Christmas this year and the light displays were the best I have ever seen. They weren't the most elaborate, but very tasteful and stylish. The words "Christmas decorations" and "gaudy" often run hand-in-hand in the states, but I can happily report that is not the case in Europe, especially Paris.

And the decorations don't start until December? How nice, I've seen them as early as October over here.

We spent a couple of weeks in Paris at the beginning of December about 2 yrs. ago & while there were certainly Christmas lights & decorations up, it's not the same as here where there's a crush to Christmas shop & to put up as many gaudy decorations as you can right after Thanksgiving. It seems much more low key. We did get lucky & happened upon a few celebrations of the season, one in particular, a Christmas concert of a local "arts" school in a beautiful church. We were just walking by & noticed the signs & people milling about. We asked if we'd "out of place" attending (since, obviously, we were "tourists" & didn't have children in the school) & were welcomed in. The caliber of the music & performances was outstanding & it gave us a taste of "local Christmas spirit." Our 14 yr. old son (now 16) mentions the concert as one of the most interesting things on the trip. If you just keep a lookout for interesting opportunities & remain flexible there are always things to do & see.
Of course, it IS true it gets dark very early that time of year, but we never felt nervous in the streets as they were generally full of people & it WAS very cold (30 degrees F. most of the time), but if you bundle up & make sure to keep your feet & hands warm you'll be fine. We walked and/or rode the Metro & trains EVERYwhere, didn't use a taxi once. Only one day at the Marche de' puces did we get particularly cold & had to stop & buy scarves. Being from western Oregon, we're used to some moisture with our cold weather, but the dry, biting cold of Paris was much easier to deal with when we were out in it all day. In fact, in order to make sure & get in my daily 3 mile walk (I WAS eating pretty well, after all!), my husband & I would get up at 6 AM & "speed walk" through the park close to our timeshare & we didn't really suffer from the cold at all - in fact, it was pleasant to walk that early in the morning with no frost on the ground.