Christmas Eve in Paris: Notre Dame

After spending the first part of my Christmas Eve in Paris at Sainte-Chapelle, I made my way across the Seine to the Saint-Michel area of the city. I had some time before the start of Midnight Mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral and I was in search of a tasty treat. I’ve always found this to be a neat little area. It’s a collection of tiny, ancient, pedestrian streets lined with touristy shops and restaurants and lots of atmosphere.

Christmas Crêpes

As I wound my way through this labyrinth, I came across the rustic Crêperie de Cluny on Rue de la Harpe. Perfect, I thought. And as I entered the restaurant, I saw a sign for Crêpes Suzette. Perfect again! Upon taking my order, the waiter set up a hot plate with all the fixings at my table. He then proceeded to prepare this traditional French treat in front of me. Orange sections caramelized with butter and sugar, then flambé’d with a touch of Grand Marnier – a festive treat indeed! Had I just discovered a new Christmas tradition? Peut être – perhaps!

Yuletide Splendour

My tummy full, I made my way back to the river, catching a view of the beautiful Préfecture du Police – Police Station. Located directly across from Notre-Dame, it was beautifully lit up for the holidays. And as I crossed le Petit Pont Cardinal Lustiger, the many stone saints that adorn the entrance to this great cathedral greeted me.

It was just before 11 p.m. when I arrived but the cathédrale – cathedral – was already full. Luckily, I found an available seat. Grateful, I sat down and took in the holiday splendour surrounding me.

After a beautiful choral concert, the procession down the nave began, the celebrant carrying the statue of the infant Jesus. And as it approached the rear of the church, to my amazement, the great centre doors of the cathedral slowly drew open. This took my breath away! Firstly, because of the beautiful view of the préfecuture shining through. And secondly, because I had never seen them open before. Usually, one enters and exits Notre-Dame by one of the side doors. This certainly added to the special nature of the evening. The procession continued through the door, with the priest placing the infant in the manger and performing a blessing over the Nativity.

A Not So Silent Night

The holy mass continued and it soon came time for communion. As I got in line to receive, I caught a flash of colour out of the corner of my eye and heard some shouting. This certainly was not part of the Midnight Mass service that I was familiar with. Neither was the woman running towards me with a security guard right behind her. My eye caught sight again of the flash of colour and this time I recognized it as the flag of Ghana. I quickly realized that this was a continuation of a protest that I had come upon along Rue Montaigne on the first night of my Paris stay. They were protesting an official visit of the President of Ghana to France. In fact, while visiting the Marché de Noël, I had noticed that the Champs-Élysées was lined with the flags of both countries.

I stepped out of the way as a chair fell on my foot, then jumped up on one of the TV platforms to avoid further injury. The racing couple quickly passed and I stepped down, composing myself enough to receive communion. However, just as I did, I caught another flash of movement out of my right eye. It was a second security guard running straight toward me. I quickly pivoted beside the minister distributing communion. We exchanged a glance of disbelief as the guard ran past. Security cleared the protesters out expeditiously and before long all was calm again.

All is Calm

This certainly wasn’t the silent night I had envisioned. However, I was reminded of the French penchant for protest, a useful remnant of the Revolution. So, after a peaceful visit to this beautiful statue of the Virgin and Child after mass, I departed Notre-Dame and Île de la Cité. As I made my way back to my lovely Parisian apartment, the site of Restaurant Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole decked out in its Christmas finery brought a smile to my face. Before long, I arrived ‘home’ safe and sound and settled in for a long winter’s nap.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, 1 rue du Cloître Notre-Dame, 75004, Paris

Download your FREE copy of

My Paris Bucket List

now for more great ideas of wonderful things to see and do

when in the ‘City of Light’!