No. 78: Licking the Christmas Windows

This Christmas with the help of celebrated designers, les grands magasins in Paris have succeeded again in creating magical Christmas windows.

Every December I have been in France, I have spent hours gazing at these fairytale windows, and this year is no exception. At least one day a week I’m out and about licking the gorgeous Christmas windows (lèche-vitrines). The French really know how to dress a window, and I just can’t get enough.

This year’s theme is, “Once upon a Christmas…Before the Clock Strikes Twelve”.

The windows chronicle the journey of rag doll Lilly and a cuddly Teddy Bear as they try to get to Christmas before the stroke of midnight. Their adventure involves meeting and playing with hundreds of furry friends, most notably spirited mice and ritzy monkeys dressed and ready for any escapade, especially ones involving pocket watches and clocks. The windows are whimsical and dreamlike and tempt even the most curmudgeony of the French to crack a smile, find a glimmer of hope and remember the joyful anticipation of being a child at Christmastime.

Vocabulaire

lèche-vitrines: window shopping (literally, licking the windows)

les grands magasins: department stores