Paris only has two sanctioned sales during the year — in January just after the Christmas break and in July just before the August holiday. This year’s shopping sale season begins on Janaury 11, and ends on February 14. Unlike sales in the U.S., stores are open mostly during normal hours, except have extended days open on a few Sundays. While it seems impossible, French law only allows sales during this time period, otherwise stores must get permission from the police to hold discounted sales outside this time period. The theory behind this is that this protects the small mom and pop shops from heavy discounting by the major giants, like Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, but, in reality, this is a way to preserve price protection and state sanctioned price parity among retailers. Read More
Just when you think New Year festivities are at an end, La Fête des Rois starts on the Epiphany holiday, which falls on the first Sunday in January. This is a great holiday, where bakeries in France and throughout Paris make a round almond pastry cake that families buy to share, and celebrate a holiday where anyone can be king or queen for a day. A ’fève’ (originally a bean but now tends to be a plastic or enamel trinket) is baked inside the cake and the cake is shared around the table. Whoever bites into the almond crusty cake and finds the fève (just be careful not to break your tooth!) is crowned king or queen for the day. 
If you are lucky enough to be in Paris for New Year’s, the difficulty is not finding out what to do but narrowing your choice of where to go. There is just too much to choose from, as the city stays up all night to welcome the New Year. Places to go on New Year’s include: 
The French seem to radiate holiday warmth as the temperatures drop and Noël draws nearer. Believe it or not, this country of wine, cheese and on average, rather little snow may contain Santa’s Workshop itself. Strasbourg, the self-proclaimed “Capital of Christmas,” certainly convinced me that Christmas magic is from here, amongst its incredible Gothic cathedral and superb Alsatian eateries. -
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Recycling Christmas Trees In Paris