Paris for Christmas Partie Un
It will come as to no secret that the shopping in Paris is divine but step into one of the cities premiere shopping malls and experience a magical world all unto itself. You can get lost on the floors, among the shoes and the coats .. there are entire buildings dedicated to gourmet foods. At Christmas time, these stores outdo themselves and to visit one is a treat unlike anything else.
Galeries LaFeyette, built in 1893 by two cousins and nestled within the 9th arrondissement, boasts an absolutely stunning glass, Art Nouveau Coupole that can be seen across the city. It is the first stop on our trip to Paris and one of Tara’s top recommendations for shopping for kid’s clothing and shoes. If you happen to be in Paris during the holiday season, you must stop into Galeries LaFeyette.
A day at Galeries Lafayette in the heart of Paris ..
It will come as to no secret that the shopping in Paris is divine, but step into one of the cities premiere shopping malls and experience a magical world all unto itself. You can get lost on the floors, among the shoes and the coats .. there are entire buildings dedicated to gourmet foods. At Christmas time, these stores outdo themselves and to visit one is a treat unlike anything else. As beautiful of an experience a trip to this storied mall is, do know that you will be amongst thousands others who have the same idea. Galeries gets extremely crowded during the holiday season and you will want to hold young children’s hands and make sure everyone gets on the escalators together. If the crowds all become a bit too much, know you can head to the bottom floor and find some much needed breathing space. The ground floor is known as the “Escape Space” where throughout the floor you will find yoga and sauna offerings, the best in French facial creams and soaps. There is even a small restaurant on this floor that boasts healthy veggie bowls and smoothies. There are a multitude of fancy booths where you can have your hair and nails done, eyebrows, make-up, if you can dream it up, it’s there on the bottom floor of Galeries. But what I noticed was a small seating area where weary shoppers were taking a much needed respite. Don’t hesitate to “escape” the throngs of shoppers when needed. Alternatively, you can head out of Galeries and find a myriad of wonderful French brasseries where you can sit and have a proper meal.
Galeries LaFayette, built in 1893 by two cousins and nestled within the 9th arrondissement, boasts an absolutely stunning glass, Art Nouveau Coupole, that can be seen across the city. It is the first stop on our trip to Paris, and one of Tara’s top recommendations for shopping for kid’s clothing and shoes. If you happen to be in Paris during the holiday season, you must stop into Galeries LaFayette.
At the center of the mall during Christmas, The Giant Christmas Tree has been a tradition since 1976. Tourists and locals flock to the mall to catch a glimpse of this spectacular tree. You can’t help but look up. As you ascend to the higher floors, you catch glimpses of the tree from different angles. It is breathtaking. A glass walkway that you can walk out onto provides the perfect unobstructed view. Each year there is a new theme that is brought to life by team of Christmas crafters from the School of Fine Art or the Ecole Boulle. From the grand tree to the window displays, to shop displays, and even the shopping bags - the theme is brought to life. This year the design was inspired by childhood memories by lead designer Charles de Vilmorin. You can read all about the story behind his inspiration here.
After stargazing at the tree, we head up the escalators to the 5th floor — the children’s floor. Shopping at Galeries Lafayette evokes deep nostaglia for Tara and I as we remiesce about our childhoods and trips to the mall. It is an art we’ve lost in America. We rarely shop in person anymore and we’ve all seen the slow demise of the American shopping mall over the past decade or so. I have so many memories of visiting my Grandma in Dallas and heading to Northstar Mall where we would window shop and then tuck into a corner booth at Maggiano’s to share fetticino alfrado and caesar salad. I loved it. My Mom would take us shopping at the mall each summer for new school clothes. It used to be that when you needed something, you’d head to the nearest mall. At Galeries Lafayette, the art of shopping in person is still alive and well. You will be shopping alongside thousands others but it’s this rush and excitement for the adults and kids alike. The children’s floor is as expected, just dazzling with beautiful clothes and the sweetest toys and dolls. The kids love pointing at all their favorites and hoping that perhaps something might show up underneath our Paris Christmas tree. My favorite part of the floor is the shoe section. For one, it is every kid’s shoe brand one can possibly imagine and it feels practical as well as candy for the eyes to walk amongst the shoes but it also has a play area for the kids. It is a welcome respite amongst the craze of shopping and gazing at beautiful things.
There comes a time during every trip to Galeries where food for starving kids and coffees for the adults becomes paramount. For this, we head up just one floor — the kids all share a burger and fries, adults have a cafe allongé (simply put - a double espresso), we gaze at all the beautiful chocolate tins, and take a much needed toilet stop. Free toilets are hard to come by in Paris so everyone goes when we find one! The youngest member of our trip, dearest Hadley, discovered a love for french fries! Out the windows from this floor you can see the Eiffel Tower and all the glittering buildings below. Before leaving Galeries, Tara loves to go over to the gourmet food building and see if she can find some dinner provisions (hint: she always finds something divine). The kids all got ice creams before we headed back home on the train.
