Wandering down through the Christmas markets on the Champs-Élysées is one of the best ways to take a break from studying for finals. The amazing gift stalls combined with the hundreds of different food vendors combine to make a festive and joyful atmosphere, sugar-coated almond stands wedged between two scarf stalls. Every other person seems to have a cup of vin chaud-- mulled wine-- clutched in their hands, warming them up from the inside out (though personally, I find the smell much more enticing than the actual taste).
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| Seriously, this sign was everywhere |
As the sun starts to set around 4:30, the lights start to flicker on above all the wooden chalets. Strings of light run all along the roofs, white lights blinking on and off to give the impression of snow, while signs light up in red and green, proclaiming that you've found the Christmas markets of Paris. There's a small artisan "village" that curves off to one side off the main market that I fell in love with, stalls of jewelry looking like they belongs to a fairy queen and carved wooden statues appearing regal despite being only a few inches tall.
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| The chalets lining the opposite side of the street |
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| Ah yes. Michael Jackson, the most Christmas-like you can get |
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| The lights going on above the sidewalk |
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| All the trees lit up |
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| One of the trees lit up |
I'm sure DC has something like the Christmas markets, but something tells me it's probably not to the same extent. There are over 200 wooden chalets along the Champs-- and yes, I looked that up. The French get into the Christmas spirit early, and they only go up from there. Every store plays Christmas carols-- mostly in English, weirdly-- and it seems as though every major boulevard and then some is covered in strings of blinking lights. It's contagious, and I've caught it, only refraining from decorating my apartment because I know I'll be leaving in a week anyway.
The Christmas spirit is a wonderful thing. It fills you up and excites you and it seems as though nothing can dampen your happiness, not even the upcoming final exams. Everyone seems lighter, smiling more and not letting the little things get to them. I wish I could figure out how to bottle that feeling and keep it around all year long, because there's something about it that makes everything seem just a little bit magical.
So, as the streets sparkle and I use this next week to finish up both my first semester of college and my Christmas shopping, I'm not nearly as stressed as I thought I would be. The Christmas markets have put a little glow inside of me that seems to absorb all of the bad and turn it into silver and gold tinsel lining instead, and I'm starting to think that maybe-- just maybe-- there is such a thing as magic after all.
Katrina
