A marché de Noël Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, one of many in the city. (Photo: Deb Hopewell)
Could there be any better time to experience Paris than Christmastime? Sure, it's cold. And often rainy. But the City of Light is nothing less than dazzling during December. From the seasonal Christmas markets, to the gorgeously over-the-top window displays to sipping hot chocolate in a cozy café, Paris knows how to throw a holiday party.
Bundling up in a hat, scarf, gloves and an umbrella at the ready, I took recently took to the boulevards and rues of Paris for an afternoon of faire du lèche-vitrines – which is French for window-shopping, bien sûr (literal translation: "window-licking").