‘Twas the week before Christmas

‘Twas the week before Christmas
When all through the city
(Uh…something about lights and chocolate)
And Paris looked so pretty

Okay, I’m not the greatest poet. 

If the Mayan Apocalypse really did happen on Friday, I have to admit, I would have gone out happy.

This past week leading up to Christmas has been a spectacular one, closing out an awesome December full of friends, food, and the good kind of sleep deprivation that only comes from squeezing as much life as possible out of every single day.

I’ve got a big monthly recap post in the works, but below are some highlights of this past week — my last one in Paris for 2012:

For Christmas presents for my bosses, I went to French bookstore Galignani on Rue de Rivoli (close to Angelina and across from the Tuileries). It was very cozy and charming inside — in fact, it’s exactly how I imagined the bookstore from Beauty and the Beast would look like in real life.

I had to laugh at this header I found in a French book of recipes using iconic American goods: “Le mythe du sandwich US” — the myth of the US sandwich — FLUFFERNUTTER. (It’s just peanut butter and marshmallow fluff, guys!)

As I left Galignani, books in hand (which were wrapped beautifully  I might add, though I’d expect no less from a Parisian bookseller), the rain finally stopped and the clouds parted into what was sure to be a glowing sunset.

I gave my bosses their presents and they loved the books I chose for them. There is something so satisfying about seeing a person’s face when they receive a present and knowing you got the perfect gift.

(Of course, they’d gotten me a book as well — Les Trois Mousquetaires, by Alexandre Dumas. Looks like I’m going to be spending many days ahead hunched over Google Translate…)

As I left work, I ran into someone I’d just met a couple days prior — the Irish ambassador to France. Funny thing was, the day before I’d received an invite to the Irish embassy for Christmas drinks but was gutted to see it was on the same night that I was flying out to Singapore. And here, the day after I declined the invitation, I had a chance to chat to the ambassador anyway. Paris is so small sometimes.

On my way to a Christmas dinner I stopped into a grocery store to pick up a bottle of wine. The total came to €3.81 and the cashier asked if I had any pennies. I said no, sorry, and braced myself for the many tiny coins that were about to be handed over.

But then, the French man standing behind me in line dug into his pocket, pulled out some change, and gave a penny to the cashier to make both our lives easier. I said merci and he simply smiled and waved his hand, saying it was nothing. Who says the French are rude??

Then, of course, the ultimate chocolate icing on the cake was Emily’s 5-course chocolate-themed Christmas dinner.

As is always the case with Emily’s dinners, it’s better if I show you rather than tell you:

I was too late for the first course — baked brie with dark chocolate caramelized onions — but I was just in time for the entree: cocoa-dusted scallops on top of a cauliflower puree.

Course 3: Cocoa-dusted magret de canard (duck breast) with a blueberry dark chocolate sauce.

Of course, being a French dinner, there was a cheese course. Ours was served with chocolate bread.

And then for the grand finale, there was an out-of-this-world chocolate lava cake, topped with homemade vanilla whipped cream (The latter was so good I think I might have eaten more of that than the cake. I was just drinking it out of the bowl like melted ice cream.)

…and homemade chocolate truffles. You know you’re in a chocolate coma when you have dozens of truffles sitting in front of you, just begging to be eaten, and all you can do is stare at it while patting your food baby and internally debate whether or not you can afford surgery for fixing a burst stomach. (I’ll tell you what though, these truffles would be worth it.)

And it wouldn’t be Christmas without a proper look at the tree at Galeries Lafeyette. Isn’t she a beaut? I personally find the ceiling even more enchanting than the tree itself — I could stare take photos of the stained glass and ornate balconies for hours.

Hope everyone is enjoying their last couple weeks of December and safe travels to those going home (or anywhere else) for the holidays!