Paris is nicknamed Europe's "city of light"
for its incandescent energy and effervescent culture.
In the dark of winter, the city's best-loved icon,
the Eiffel Tower,
brilliantly heralds this happy season.
By night, Paris's biggest department stores
dress up the streets.
Printemps is pretty in pink, and the Galeries Lafayette
has woven an exquisite embroidery of lights.
There's ice skating at the Hotel de Ville.
And all along the Champs-Elysées,
it's a festive forest of 2,000 twinkling trees.
[ Bells chiming ]
By day, the signs of Christmas are more subtle
but can be found everywhere.
The best-dressed trees are seen here
in the Pompidou Center.
Where else but in Paris
will you find avant-garde Christmas trees
making a fashion statement?
With visions of Versace dancing in their heads,
inspired fashionistas can bundle up their wish lists
and head to the designer boutiques on the Rue Royal.
Parisians buy fewer Christmas gifts
than their American counterparts --
more a matter of quality than quantity --
and they favor small specialty shops like these.
Christmas in Paris is elegantly understated,
and the city yields unexpected moments.
Turn a corner, and you just might find yourself
in a stylish arcade all wrapped up in red.
Busy Parisian shoppers fuel up on the city's street food:
Steamy crepes...
And hot roasted chestnuts.
"Joyeux Noël!"
And neighborhood brasseries are full of friends
slurping fresh oysters rushed in from the Brittany coast.
Oysters are favorites at Christmas,
which makes perfect sense
as they're plump and delicious this time of year.
'Tis also the season of elegant edibles.
Foie gras, a paté made from goose liver
and a smidge of cognac,
is especially popular during holidays.
And chocolate shops and patisseries --
wonderful any time of year --
get even better at Christmas.
There are chocolate chestnuts...
Yummy yule logs...
And delights fit for a king.
This patisserie, the oldest in Paris,
was opened in 1730
by an ex-pastry chef of the royal court.
Even sophisticated Paris
rolls out the magic carpet for children.
French families from all over the country
rendezvous at the windows of the grand department stores.
Displays are especially designed
to enchant the little ones.
And stools provided by thoughtful stores
make sure that even the tiniest tot enjoys a good view.
During Christmas, the Eiffel Tower
becomes the highest ice-skating rink in Paris.
Kids ride ponies at Luxembourg Gardens...
And the city's magical "manèges de noëls" --
the carousels of Christmas -- spin memories.
A clear, cold day brings out Parisians,
trying to soak up as much sunlight as possible
on these, the shortest days of the year,
while a dusting of snow
brings out hopes for a white Christmas,
like at home.
Whether you're young or just young at heart,
Christmas in Paris is the stuff of dreams.
If Paris is a "grande dame" strutting her Christmas finery,
then Burgundy, where we're heading next,
is her pious country cousin.
[ Choir singing in French ]
Burgundy lies in the quiet, religious heart
of this mostly secular nation.
France's most venerable abbeys are here,
and their spirit seems to animate the small villages
throughout the region.
Ancient traditions survive comfortably here.
This 13th-century abbey
resonates with the rich sounds of the French group Phonema,
singing medieval carols
just as they were sung centuries ago.
[ Singing continues ]
[ Song ends ]
A sense of community runs strong in rural France,
and it expresses itself in simple rituals
shared by families and friends.
[ Chainsaw buzzing ]
[ Shouting ]
[ Tree crashes ]
These old friends come here each winter
to cut and gather wood
for their fireplaces and stoves.
It's the kind of hard work that builds an appetite.
Fortunately, they brought drinks to cut the chill...
[ Laughing ]
With just enough red wine for the duck.
There's bacon to sizzle...
And potatoes to roast...
Ahhh... "C'est bon!"
[ Men talking in French ]
A winter picnic in the woods is as good for the soul
as it is for the stomach.
[ Speaks French ]
In Burgundy, no one goes without.
Communities take good care of one another year-round,
with special treats at Christmas.
This amiable village mayor, accompanied by her entourage,
gets into the spirit of things
by delivering baskets of delicacies to the elderly
for the Christmas Eve feast.
[ Both speaking French ]
This morning my friends the Berteloots
are shopping for seasonal fare at the Saturday market.
[ Speaking French ]
Fine food's at the center of life in Burgundy,
even in the dead of winter.
Right about now the truffles are at their pungent best.
[ All speaking French ]
Delphine and Emmanuel prepare for the
grandest culinary event of the year.
The French call their Christmas Eve feast
"le réveillon de noël."
[ Speaks French ]
At home the family's busy preparing for the big event.
The children are decorating candles
to set on the windowsill on Christmas Eve
to light up the dark on that night
so filled with anticipation.
[ Speaking French ]
And the tree's not quite done until capped with a star.
"Oui, super!"
In the kitchen, Delphine slices her foie gras...
Then devotes herself to the centerpiece of the "réveillon:"
Filet of beef wrapped in brioche.
Stretching the pastry is a two-person job.
After generously grating local truffles
the beef is tenderly wrapped
and ready for the oven.
And there's still the serious business
of selecting the perfect wine from the cellar.
Soon guests will be arriving.
This time of year, when days are short and nights are long,
it's customary to leave a welcoming light
in the window.