Yesterday, I began the countdown to Christmas.
In years past, I’ve “Advent Calendared” my way through December with the Cheesy Christmas series (2020 & 2021), and a tour of our favourite Christmas tree ornaments. As I mentioned yesterday, however, this year I’m going to share some Christmas memories with you.
… 1-2 photos and the story behind them… some in Canada & some in Europe.
Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday: the early 2000s…
Paris
Paris is referred to as the City of Lights. It bears its name well at any time of the year, but perhaps just a little bit moreso at Christmas.
It was 2004 and during the same trip to Europe that took us to Holland (yesterday) I spent 2 days in Paris for a meeting with one of my Master’s thesis advisors who lived there. He’d developed a software package that would tag text, allowing for very specific searches and text analyses. I was programming it to recognize English phrasal verbs that were used in Acadian French (and conjugated like French verbs).
I couldn’t be in the city without spending a night and taking in the sights. The Christmas tree in front of Notre-Dame, Galleries Lafayette (outside as well as inside under the incredible stained glass rotunda) and the Cité metro station, whose lights and glow reminded me of globe lights on a Christmas tree.
Walking around Paris is great when you’re with people, but there’s also something really nice about walking about by oneself as well: for glimpses of wonder, I’m prepared to have chilled feet & hands, tired legs and a red nose… not everyone is as thrilled. 😅
(Remember, too, that that was long before we were living here, so there was always that impulse to take it all in because “who knows if / when you’ll be back!?”)
… well, we’ve been back… once or twice! 😅
Grateful
I have gotten to do a LOT of traveling and most of it has something to do with serving God, serving a local church or because we’ve gotten friends with other Christians. He really has done great things for us!
“Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart.
For consider what great things he has done for you.”
1 Samuel 12:24
Thank you sharing this memory and…
AIM Long 
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I like this Christmas memories idea-the concluding verse is especially a beautiful and comforting one. Michelke
Thank you Michele… seeing the little round rabbit, accompanied by your name, never ceases to bring a smile to my face.
It’s not like we NEED a reason to go back through the many, many digital pics stored on one’s computer, but it’s a lot of fun to do so and it’s a shame to not be able to share them with others (in small, limited doses – heh heh). I think that it’s also a mix of the kids getting older and the ever-present nostalgia for our “old” home that’s behind this year’s theme.
God bless you friend!