European Lights in Darkest December

As the days grow short, so the light becomes ever more important

It is fascinating that so much is written, sung, and produced about light in the darkest month of the year in the northern hemisphere. They range from religious traditions — the Advent wreath and songs about the star of light leading worshippers to the baby Jesus, to the Menorah, to the tradition of lighting candles to see our families safely through the darkest of nights, the winter solstice.

Each of these traditions has held importance in my life, as I was raised Christian, married a Jew, and became a Unitarian Universalist for whom the winter solstice is the most sacred holiday on my calendar.

Beyond each tradition, I see our need to celebrate light in the depths of darkness, cold, and a good deal of death in nature. How important is the light! And evergreens that overcome the death of their branches to provide the beautiful green of their needles year round.

We humans in our modern consumer societies have tended to create commercial ways to sustain this light in winter. We load up artificial Christmas trees with plastic lights and decorate the outline of our homes with similar lights, placing plastic candles inside our windows. This is not a judgment — surely it is better than the old custom of placing lighted candles on live evergreens!

As I have witnessed these lights that have brightened my path when in many countries outside my native US, I have been grateful for the joy that they have brought to me. In the past two years, I have been in London, Monte Carlo, Strasbourg, Nice, Rouen, and Paris, for this lovely celebration of light.

Lights of London

The UK capital goes all out on lighting up the city for Christmas. I imagine the vehicles don’t need to turn on their lights as they drive down the streets in the evening.

It was my husband’s first trip to London, and he reveled in the city itself as well as the many pop culture opportunities that he loves — the Sherlock Holmes Museum and Pub, Abbey Road, the Harry Potter play. We took an evening bus tour and were amazed at the displays of light along Knightsbridge and Covent Garden.

We also had a fun adventure in Harrod’s, where we ended up with a free meal after the server accidentally poured a glass of wine on me. I hope she didn’t lose her job!

The French Capital of Christmas Markets

Europe comes alive with both great and small Christmas markets. I have loved milling my way through the booths in Saint Michel, Notre Dame, and the Tuileries in Paris. Major European markets include those in Cologne, Vienna, Salzburg, Berlin, and the top market in Strasbourg, France.

The trip to Strasbourg was a tiring day! I had hoped to get us a weekend there, but the hotels more than doubled their daily rate, so we ended up taking an early train to the city and a late one back to Paris.

Still, it was worth the exhaustion the next day. The small city was magical, with booths enticing shoppers to buy crafts, cheeses made especially for the holidays, vin chaud, sausage, jewelry, and so much more amidst rides for children and displays of Christmas lights.

Joyeux Fetes in Nice and Monte Carlo

After a quiet holiday dinner at home in Paris, my husband and I set out for some down time in Nice, from which we also visited Monte Carlo. I started out looking for a good place for my husband and I to spend New Year’s Eve. Funny enough, I did not find much about celebrating in Paris. So we chose Nice, where it appeared that there would be good fireworks over the Mediterranean.

What a quaint time to visit the south coast of France! Compared to the crowds of the summer, there were almost no tourists. Booking two tour groups, we had a tour guide to ourselves as we explored north of the city in the lovely Riviera-level Ville Franche-sur-Mer and clifftop village of Eze. Another day we got to see beautiful Antibes and Cannes (Cannes was packed even at that time of year).

However, most of the lights we saw were in Nice, where we stayed for a week.

On the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, we became very hungry as we wandered in the old city. We had planned to stay hungry to enjoy our reservations for a New Year’s Eve feast. But we caved and ordered a big pizza mid-afternoon.

So, ironically, we missed out on the New Year’s dinner and fireworks celebration we planned for that trip because we ate a far too heavy lunch and just wanted to crash before 10pm!

Festivities in Rouen

Monet painted the Cathedral of Rouen over 30 times, and having now visited it, I understand why. It is stunning inside and out, and the Christmas decorations inside the cathedral and Christmas market just outside are so inviting. After some really chilly days, my friends and I got a sunny, warm (50 F) day in December to explore the town.

Christmas Lights in the City of Light

This is my third holiday season in Paris, and for me, it is just perfect. I know the city used to get snow; I was happy to glimpse a few flurries the other day, though they disappeared before they reached the ground.

At this time of year, most days are grey and damp. It just makes the lights stand out even during the day. Here are some I took the other day at l’Hotel de Ville and the BHV department store as I walked to my dance lesson.

Then there are the two largest and most famous of the Paris department stores: Bon Marche on 24 rue de Sevres, and Galleries Lafayette near the Opera Garnier. I think they may work to outdo each other in this season, and the result is highly festive!

And though I tend to avoid the Champs-Elysees, I have to go there at least once in December to enjoy the brilliance of the thousands of white lights on the street and many streets just off the main thoroughfare.

Currently, the scaffolding surrounding the new spire of Notre Dame is lit up at night, as we all await its unveiling sometime in 2024.

Finally are my favorites: places on small Ile Saint Louis, where I live,

and the humble space where my UUFP congregation (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Paris) rent for a once/month service. We meet at Maison Verte, an organization that helps immigrants and homeless people in the city.

Happy holidays, all!