{"id":32503,"date":"2020-11-24T05:30:29","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T04:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=32503"},"modified":"2020-11-24T01:45:30","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T00:45:30","slug":"french-culture-decorating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/french-culture-decorating\/","title":{"rendered":"French Culture – Decorating"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many, the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US marks the official start of the holiday season. France doesn’t officially have Thanksgiving<\/a>, and so\u00a0souvent<\/strong>\u00a0le temps des f\u00eates commence <\/strong>(the holiday period begins often<\/em>) right after la Toussaint<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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No\u00ebl aux Grands Magasins\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the first signs of Christmas’s impending arrival, in Paris at least, can be found in the interiors and, for passers-by, the vitrines<\/strong>1<\/a><\/sup>In French they say faire du l\u00e8che<\/a>-vitrines<\/em> \/ to do some window licking<\/em> for window shopping<\/em><\/span> (display <\/em>windows)\u00a0<\/em>that line\u00a0les\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>trottoirs<\/b><\/a> (the sidewalks)<\/em> of this city’s major department stores. And this year’s Covid confinement hasn’t stopped Christmas from coming!<\/p>\n

Over at the Printemps Haussmann,\u00a0le th\u00e8me est “Partageons No\u00ebl<\/strong>” (the theme is “Let’s share Christmas”). <\/em>Click here<\/a> to see some of the 92 characters across un d\u00e9cor de mer, de montagne ou encore de for\u00eat <\/strong>(ocean, mountain, or even forest scenes).<\/em><\/p>\n

At the Galeries Lafayette, it’s a voyage de No\u00ebl <\/strong>(Christmas voyage<\/em>) with C\u00e9leste, une jeune exploratrice <\/strong>(a young explorer<\/em>), who travels to world to bring\u00a0plein de cadeaux<\/strong> (lots of gifts\/presents<\/em>) back to Paris with her. Enjoy her travels here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Like all the Grands Magasins, <\/strong>the Galeries Lafayette is currently closed, but when it reopens\u00a0visitors will also be able to enjoy what is being billed as le plus grand sapin du monde, au centre de la coupole<\/strong> (the largest Christmas tree in the world, in the center of the famous dome<\/em>). Check it out on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Across town, the BHV Marais (Bazar de l’H\u00f4tel de Ville<\/strong> \/ Bazaar at the City Hall<\/em>), is also taking visitors on a trip of sorts with\u00a0des\u00a0<\/strong>vitrines <\/b>inspired by Italy and\u00a0le plus c\u00e9l\u00e8bre pantin italien, Pinocchio\u00a0<\/strong>(the most famous Italian puppet, Pinocchio<\/em>). See him, along with a puppet\u00a0chat\u00a0<\/strong>(cat)<\/em> in a d\u00e9cor richement orn\u00e9 de sapins et de guirlandes lumineuses\u00a0<\/strong>(richly decorated with pine trees and lighted garlands<\/em>) here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Le saviez-vous?<\/strong>
\nThe world\u2019s very first \u2013 and longest running – department store is in Paris. Le Bon March\u00e9<\/strong> (The good deal<\/em>), founded in 1852, established many of the shopping ideas that drive so much (for better or worse!) of today\u2019s retail economy including returns, mail order, and even home delivery. You can read more about this innovative store in this CNN Travel article<\/a>, watch a short and entertaining video<\/a> in French from Arte \u2026 or discover the inner workings and the early days of the store in \u00c9mile Zola\u2019s famous novel Au Bonheur des Dames<\/a>. Weirdly, I could find no pictures of the vitrines du Bon March\u00e9<\/strong>!<\/div>\n

Noel aux Champs Elys\u00e9es<\/strong><\/p>\n

Les Grands Magasins<\/strong> aren’t the only ones to get on their\u00a0lumi\u00e8res de f\u00eates <\/strong>(Holiday\/celebration lights<\/em>). This past\u00a0dimanche<\/strong> (Sunday),<\/em>\u00a0l’inauguration des illuminations des Champs Elys\u00e9es s’est fait en<\/b> ligne<\/strong> (the lighting of the Champs Elysees took place on line).\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Because of the current\u00a0couvre-feu<\/strong><\/a>, no one could attend the traditional lighting of the Christmas lights along the famous avenue<\/a> … so they improvised a way that\u00a0chacun pourrait participer \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9v\u00e9nement en allumant les ampoules depuis chez soi, via une plateforme en ligne <\/b><\/a>(each person could patriciate in the event by lighting the bulbs from home, using an online\u00a0platform).<\/em><\/p>\n

In the video below, you can enjoy the results of this unprecedented “tree lighting” and see some of the\u00a0vitrines<\/strong> from the\u00a0Grands Magasins\u00a0<\/strong>featured.<\/p>\n