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Report 950: Deux Joyeux Noëls: Two Joyous Christmases in France

By Roz from Massachusetts, Winter 2005

Trip Description: Enjoying Christmas in Paris and on the Côte d'Azur: 2003 and 2005

Destinations: Countries - France; Regions/Cities - Paris, Provence

Categories: Hotels/B&Bs; Art Trip; Sightseeing; Independent Travel; 2 People

We'd been married for 40 years, and never had a Christmas away from either our home or our family. But now our family was scattered - both sons 3000 miles away in California, no other relatives within several hundred miles. One son was remodeling his house and in no state to entertain or visit. And it wasn't "our year" to be with the other son's family. Sure, we have plenty of friends in the neighborhood, but they all have their own families who live nearby, and we didn't want to horn in on their celebrations.

So, we could have gone through all the motions of Christmas at home by ourselves - and ended up feeling lonely and depressed. Or we could treat ourselves to a really special gift - and escape to someplace completely different. A Web search popped up with a week in Paris for two at $1500 (air and hotel), and we grabbed it.

That's how we ended up spending Christmas 2003 in the City of Light and having one of the best holidays ever. Our package hotel may not have oozed Parisian charm, but it was intriguingly placed right inside one of the passages de Paris and gave us easy access by foot or Metro to anywhere we wanted to go. We had a cute room with a great view up to Sacre Coeur, and a huge buffet breakfast as part of the deal.