"Notre Dame Behind the Leaves"
Photo by Erica Simone
A Christmas for All in the "City of White"
Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Monday, December 20, 2010 • Paris, France
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 Notre Dame in the Snow by Christa Kieffer  Notre Dame December 8th Photo by Associated Press |
The snow is still falling. I've never seen so much snow in Paris. Never. Statistically speaking, I'd guess it's breaking all records as the forecast predicts snow almost every day this week through Christmas.
My daughter is on route from New York as I write and although the flight was scheduled to land at Charles de Gaulle this morning, it's been diverted to a city in the U.K. (no, not "Leeds") and then there are no guarantees it will be able to land in Paris later in the day nor that the shuttle from the airport will be able to maneuver the roads to get her here.
We are having a 'white Christmas' whether (or "weather?") or not we want one. For those of you planning a White Christmas in the City of Light (or "City of White?"), bring your snow boots. This is a first for most visitors, huh?
Our plan for the holiday includes a Christmas Eve dinner with a friend who lives next door to Notre Dame. How perfect is that!? Mass begins at 4:30 p.m., but the Christmas carols begin at 11 p.m. led by the Archbishop of Paris Cardinal Andre 23. This is my chance to experience a REAL Christmas mass! Here's the official schedule:
Grand Organ played by JP. LEGUAY
* 07:45 - 08:00 Opening of the cathedral
* 08:00 - 08:30 Mass in the Choir
* 09:00 - 09:30 Mass in the Choir
* 12:00 - 12:45 Mass at the main altar
* 14:00 - 15:30 Visit in French offered by the cathedral
Departure under the great organ* 15:00 - 16:30 Visit in French offered by the cathedral
Departure under the great organ* 16:30 - 17:45 First Christmas Mass
* 18:00 - 19:30 Families Christmas Mass and procession of the children to the crib
* 20:00 - 21:15 International Christmas Mass
* 21:45 - 22:45 Projection of the film “Notre-Dame de Paris, living cathedral”
English subtitles - Free entrance - Free will donation
http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/NIGHT-SERVICES-AT-NOTRE-DAME-DE* 23:00 - 00:00 Christmas veillée
Christmas carols sung by the Adults’ and Children’s Choirs of the Cathedral* 23:55 - 00:00 Sonnerie du Bourdon Emmanuel
* 23:59 - 00:00 Christmas eve mass
Presided over by Cardinal André 23, Archevêque de ParisThis schedule and more can be found at: notredamedeparis.fr
And now you're asking: "What's a good little Jewish girl like me going to a Catholic mass?"
Why not? Will the Catholic church not let me in the holy chambers of Notre Dame simply because I'm not Catholic?
This morning an old Jewish friend living in New York sent me a link to a video sure to put a smile on your face -- the "Christmas Can Can" which doesn't leave anyone out from the celebration:
"It's the most wonderful time of year. We're running mad with Christmas cheer. Hey, what's troubling you my friend? It's not fair if you're Jewish, Jewish (not fair if your Jewish, Jewish). Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel I made it out of clay. You realize that Christmas ain't the only holiday."
And...:
"Wait for our ending. We should share this holiday. I wanna give a happy Chanukah to you, a happy Chanukah to you, a happy Chanukah to you. A merry Christmas, Chanukah and also Kwanzaa. Merry Christmas, happy Chanukah, and mer-ry Kwan-zaa, too."
Don't you just love these guys?
The next day, Christmas Day, will be a bit different. What do Jews do on Christmas Day? They go for Chinese food and a movie, what else?
It's so traditional (in a funny, untraditional way), that this past June during Supreme Court hearings, Senator Lindsey Graham asked Justice Elena Kagan, in relation to a question about the Christmas Day Bomber, “where were you on Christmas Day?” that Kagan responded (to a deserved round of applause): “You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.”
Since the Chinese don't celebrate Christmas, most Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas, unlike all the others. In many major cities across the U.S., there are kosher-certified Chinese restaurants to choose from, so that even the most observant Jew can eat Chinese on Christmas. I wouldn't think of missing it.
Movie theaters tend to be open, too, particularly in the afternoon. I've already staked out the films: Rapunzel ("Raiponce")?, The Tourist?, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1?, Burlesque? (I already saw Burlesque -- go for the singing, dancing and costuming, but ignore the stupid script, terribly predictable story and bad acting, even by those actors we've seen do better in other films!).
And if you prefer some other sort of other show, the Office du Tourisme offers up this list for things to see on Christmas Day: parisinfo.com
By the way, you don't need to be Jewish or Chinese to do any of these things on Christmas Day. You could break from your own tradition and do something different -- the things we non-Christians do. We somehow manage to have fun, too!
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
(photo by Susi Gott)
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