Garlicky Buttered Snails for Christmas Dinner

Ah…Paris at Christmas! 

Honestly, I have no idea what that means. 

Never been to Paris at Christmas. I’ve been to Paris in the summer. And in the spring. Early fall, too. Gorgeous city. I love Paris—the food, the wine, the museums, the garlicky buttered snails. 

The cheese! 

Writing in cafés and feeling for a moment like I might be channeling the ghost of Fitzgerald or Hemingway. 

Ah, Paris… 

If all goes as planned, I will be in Paris as you read this on Christmas Day. My wife, Yulia, and I will have headed out from Prague to Frankfurt to visit friends, then to Luxembourg—because, well, why not?—and then into Paris for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and a few days beyond that. 

We’re doing this by car, which, if you saw some of my dispatches over the summer, is the only way to travel in Europe. I mean, I love train travel in Europe. European trains are pretty darn great, and they’re highly convenient. But Yulia and I found a different joy when it comes to driving across Europe. 

On a train, you can’t stop when you see something interesting, or when you’re hungry and you want to pull over because you found this funky little local joint hawking dishes you’ve never heard of but which turn out to be amazing. 

In a car, the world around you is yours to explore. 

Which is why we’re taking a side trip into Luxembourg. Neither of us has ever been there. It’s country #76 for me. Be nice to see the Christmas market there. 

But Paris is The Show. 

For months now, we’ve been talking about venturing there, but various issues popped up that snarled those plans. Now we have the time. I have two weeks that are basically going to be quieter, and Yulia’s job volunteering to teach Ukrainian refugees in Prague is on hiatus for the holidays. 

And we both decided that touring the Louvre and the Pompidou (one of the very best modern art museums in the world) and noshing on French food and desserts would be a great way to spend a Christmas. 

In all honesty, this is one of the big selling points for Europe: The ability to spend Christmas in all these really cool cities.

Neither Yulia or I are traditionalists. I’m not a fan of “Oh, it’s Christmas! We’ll be spending the holiday doing the exact same thing and eating the exact same meal with the exact same people.” Nothing wrong with that kind of stability…it’s just not for us.

Last year, we spent Xmas in Prague because it was Yulia’s first Christmas here. The year before, we were in Montenegro. For next year, we’re already talking about a Greek Christmas…or if we move to a new country, then probably Christmas there.

Whatever the case, Christmas is my favorite time of year in Europe. (Yulia will disagree with that. She hates the cold and snow, and appreciates much more coastal Europe in the summer, when she can run around in a bikini most of the day and spend long, languid hours at the beach with an Aperol spritz.)

Nevertheless, Europe feels like Christmas should feel. It looks like Christmas should look. That makes me content this time of year.

Which is why I am so eager to see Paris at Christmas. I’ve seen Prague, as well as Bucharest, Romania…London…Zurich…Vienna…numerous German cities…and Tallinn, Estonia, among others. They’re all special in their own way. Many are exceptionally beautiful.

But I have a suspicion Paris is going to be a notch higher. The ultimate European Christmas city. I’ve got myself all excited about Paris, like a kid who can’t wait for Christmas morning. I told Yulia I’m not buying her a big present this year for Christmas Day, but that instead we’ll go shopping in French boutiques in the days after Christmas so she can pick out some French fashion that she wants.

She’s quite excited by that as her gift.

Maybe I am setting myself up for disappointment…we’ll see. I’ll let you know. And I’ll send some pictures of Paris at Christmas.

In the meantime, have a fabulous Christmas Day. You probably won’t be having garlicy buttered snails and a bottle of French Chablis like I hope to be having, but whatever you’re dining on today I hope it’s a Christmas meal that brings you much happiness.