What To Do On Christmas Day | Paris Insiders Guide (2024)

FAQs

What is Paris like at Christmas? ›

Admire the Christmas lights

From mid-November, Paris is decked out in her Christmas finery. Trees are draped with twinkling lights and colourful decorations are strung across the streets. Most areas of Paris get an extra sparkle for the festive season, but head to the Champs Elysées for the most over-the-top décor.

With dazzling holiday window displays at all the city's biggest department stores, fun Christmas markets to explore throughout the city, spectacular Christmas and New Year concerts in historic churches (plus a don't-miss Handel's Messiah sing-along), and tempting sales to make your holiday shopping even more exciting, ...

After spending Christmas in London, I can confidently say London is one of the BEST destinations in Europe for Christmas and should be near the top of the list. London blew Paris out of the water when it came to decorations and Christmas lights.

The night of December 24th is called the Réveillon de Noël (or veille de Noël), and it is actually this night when the big celebration is held in France. The big Christmas dinner with family and friends is usually on Dec 24th, after which is the traditional opening of gifts.

Your Paris winter outfits will have a warm coat. Nice winter Paris outfits include turtlenecks, wool ponchos, or oversized cardigans as the second layer. You can complete your Paris outfits winter with a warm scarf and a wool hat. Add some Merino wool and thermal underwear to your Paris winter packing list.

Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion.

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.

Where can I spend Christmas Day? ›

Santa Claus is called Père Noël in French or Father Christmas.

People come together in cathedrals and churches across the country to pray and sing carols (known as Chants de Noël). They celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, believed to have happened on that night. After the service, people return home to either sleep, eat, or open presents (for those with excited little ones).

Many people in France put up a Christmas tree, visit a special church service, eat an elaborate meal and open gifts on Christmas Eve. Other activities include walking in the park, participating in city life and sharing a meal with family and close friends.

Many other varying cultural traditions and experiences are also associated with Christmas Eve around the world, including the gathering of family and friends, the singing of Christmas carols, the illumination and enjoyment of Christmas lights, trees, and other decorations, the wrapping, exchange and opening of gifts, ...

What do most families do on Christmas Eve? ›

Christmas caroling, attending midnight Mass, feasting on a home-cooked meal and watching classic films like How the Grinch Stole Christmas are among the most popular traditions, but every family is unique — which is exactly why we asked readers to share their favorite holiday traditions.

The beautiful city of Czech Republic - Prague looks beautiful on Christmas holidays. It is among the most picturesque Christmas destinations of the world.

Rovaniemi - Lapland, Finland

Rovaniemi in Lapland, Finland, may be the best place on earth to celebrate Christmas. Located just north of the Arctic Circle, Finns argue that it makes a much likelier home for Santa than even the North Pole.

Just like turkey is to Thanksgiving, a French Christmas main dish is almost always a large roasted “dinde” (turkey). A French Christmas turkey is traditionally made with a chestnut stuffing, and served with roasted potatoes, chestnuts and sometimes cooked apples around it.

Christmas in Italy (in Italian: Natale) begins on December 8, with the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the day on which traditionally the Christmas tree is mounted and ends on January 6, of the following year with the Epiphany (in Italian: Epifania).

In Italy, the Epiphany on January 6th is also known as “l*ttle Christmas” and is a public holiday.

Are Leggings Okay to Wear in Paris? Some travelers love wearing leggings for comfort, but they're often too casual looking as pants for Paris. If you're a big fan of leggings, consider pairing a black pair with long tunics during the spring, or wearing them under Paris style dresses and skirts in fall and winter.

Winter Weather in Paris

The weather in Paris averages a high of around 46 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 37 degrees Farenheit from December through February — and you're bound to get some dazzlingly sunny days thrown into the mix.

France is a free country, you can wear shorts in Paris anytime and anywhere, except perhaps in high-end restaurants with dress codes, or possibly religious institutions that prohibit bare legs (or shoulders).

How did Christmas begin? ›

The origins of Christmas stem from both the pagan and Roman cultures. The Romans actually celebrated two holidays in the month of December. The first was Saturnalia, which was a two-week festival honoring their god of agriculture Saturn. On December 25th, they celebrated the birth of Mithra, their sun god.

In French Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Joyeux Noël'. In Breton (spoken by some people in Brittany, Northern France) it's 'Nedeleg Laouen', in Corsican it's 'Bon Natale' and in Alsatian (spoken by some people in Alsace, in Eastern France) it's 'E güeti Wïnâchte'.

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the last six days of the old year (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 December ) and the first six days of the New Year (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 January).

In church during this time, many Christians are reminded of Old Testament prophecies about the coming of Jesus. The 12 days of Christmas involve special church services, such as Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and a Christmas Day morning service.

What is the most important thing about Christmas? The fact that is the birth of Jesus.

Christmas is celebrated on 25 December. It is a holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who, according to the Christian religion, is the son of God. The name is a joining of “Christ” and “mass” which means the holy mass (supper, celebration or festival) of Christ.

Kiwis celebrate with a classic Christmas feast, barbecue or hangi. It's summer in New Zealand so while some families still cook a hearty traditional roast lunch (with turkey, ham, lamb or beef, roast vegetables, kumara potato and trimmings) many families instead opt for a simple barbecue or beachside picnic.

How do they celebrate Christmas in the Philippines? In order to celebrate Christmas in the Philippines, there are early masses held that are known as 'Misa de Gallo' or 'Simbang Gabi'. The last mass continues till the first Sunday of January and on this day the Feast of the Three Kings is celebrated.

Some families exchange gifts or give small presents or sweets to children. They may display small electric lamps or small clay oil-burning lamps and decorate their homes with banana or mango leaves. Some also put up a nativity scene with clay figures or a Christmas tree.

What can 2 people do for Christmas? ›

In the Māori language, Santa Claus is called Hana Kōkō! One popular present for Christmas in New Zealand are 'jandals'.

Filipinos love an excuse to party, and Christmas is the biggest, longest party of all. In the Philippines, they start celebrating three months early, giving them the longest Christmas season in the world! It starts as soon as the "Ber-Months" do — SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER and … DecemBER!

Christmas Day Celebration

Christmas carols are played on radios and televisions to mark the day. Most families start by going to church where performances and songs are done. Then later, they join their families to exchange gifts and celebrate with food and music. Happiness during Christmas is like no other.

He's known as 'Christmas Baba' in Hindi, 'Baba Christmas' in Urdu (both of those mean Father Christmas); 'Christmas Thaathaa' in Tamil and 'Christmas Thatha' in Telugu (both of those mean Christmas old man); and 'Natal Bua' (Christmas Elder Man) in Marathi.

Among them are Quakers, Jehovah's Witnesses, and members of the Churches of Christ. Some of the half-dozen Christian faiths that do no celebrate Dec. 25 contend there is nothing in the Bible that says Christ was born on that day.

Though the majority of Indians are Hindu, millions of people still celebrate Christmas in India (called Bada Din, meaning “big day”).