Paris is wonderful any time of year, but I find it especially charming during the winter holidays. The Christmas Markets are truly a special experience, with delicious smells of savory foods and vibrant colors of yummy sweets, local artisans selling their wares, a warm hot chocolate or a glass of Champagne (or both!), and sometimes even a carnival, too.

Also in on the festivities are the shops along Avenue Montaigne, and Dior wins the design contest hands-down with the most amazing display. All the hotels are decorated, and most of the restaurants, too. It all makes a lovely dining experience even better (and, oh, the food!).

Sure, it might rain a little and a heavy fog sits over the city, but the Eiffel Tower eventually peeks out of the gloom and makes me smile.

1-5) Christmas Markets 6) Dior 7) Café Marley 8) Guy Savoy 9) Moulin Rouge 10-11) Brunch du Nouvel at The Peninsula Hotel 12) Champagne Bollinger 13) Champagne Ruinart 14) Champagne Bollinger 15) Petrossian 15) Champagne Mailly 17-18) Versailles