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Christmas & Hostess Gift Ideas from a Pro!

Christmas & Hostess Gift Ideas from a Pro!

Here are a few helpful hints that may take a bit of stress out of your Christmas shopping.

I believe everyone is born with a talent or super power. Some are great singers, others are great at math; I am a shopping super hero!! This super power has been passed down from my mom; and I am willing to share some of my secrets with you in this post…you’re welcome! Lol

Hostess Gifts (all under $20)

Some may think that host/hostess gifts are old fashioned, but I think that you should never, ever show up to a party without a gift, like ever!!!

The easy go to hostess gift is a bottle of wine; which is perfectly acceptable. But here are a few other ideas.

1. Festive Serving Trays

1C4DF463-C625-46AA-9379-71A2D87BE857 — If you want to take this to the next level. Add cookies or cheese to these trays.

This is my personal go to hostess gift. You can get pretty serving dishes anywhere; Target, Homesense, Walmart, Super Store….. litteraly everywhere. And this is an item that your host or hostess can re-use at their next party and for holidays to come.

Super hero hint: Buy in bulk, if you wait until the day of the party to pick up your hostess gift, you will feel stressed. Example: if you like the idea of these serving trays, buy 5. They won’t go bad, lol. And while you’re at it, buy 5 gift bags at the same time. That way, the night of your party, you can grab and go!!

2. Booze! (Not wine)

These ideas are great host & hostess gifts; and you will get extra points for originality!!

How freaking cute are these!!! If you know your host or hostess like beer, this gift will be a hit! This is also a great example of how packaging can elevate your gift.

Now I don’t have kids, but this could be an acceptable craft for them right??? “Tommy and Sally, come help mommy make reindeer for uncle Bill’s ugly sweater party.”

This coke and mix idea is brilliant! I promise if you show up to a party with this gift you will get invited again and again!!

Now if you live in the US, this gift idea is a bit more affordable; it’s a bit pricier in Canada because of the higher cost of alcohol. Fun fact, in Canada, we call these little bottles mickey’s.

Also the value of the gift should be guided by the type of party you are attending. If your hosts are cooking you a 7 course meal, spring for a pricier gift.

3. Christmas Ornament

This is a super easy idea, again when shopping don’t just buy one; use my superhero hint and buy 4 or 5 and have that be your go to hostess gift for the season. No one will judge you for giving the same gift at multiple parties; no one will even know.

Go for a theme, I love me a theme!! These above are nautical, but you could buy a bunch of snow people or Santa’s. Get a few and get nice bags and tissue paper and bam!! All your parties are covered.

What I love about this idea is that, you are adding a little piece of you to their future Christmases. Each time they decorate their three, they will think of you!! Unless they don’t really like you, lol. If that is the case, it will just be a cute snow person (trying really hard to be gender neutral…but it’s hard!! Lol)

Super hero hint: After Christmas, buy a bunch of ornaments on sale for next year. Just don’t forget where you put them, speaking from experience.

4. Napkins

Super duper easy!!!

These can be paper or fabric, they can be Christmas themed or for every day use; it’s all good!

If going for fabric, I would stay with a neutral pallet. If going for a paper cocktail napkin, go for fun!!!

9ABA6134-3C80-44B7-A212-E0B62DCA1A35 — Hostess gifts don’t need to be expensive. These tacky napkins were under $5. They are fun and FYI a little touch of tacky is perfectly acceptable.

5. I was going to give you 5 hostess gifts ideas, but the 4 above are such kick ass gift ideas, that you are only getting 4, lol.

Christmas Gift Ideas

A lot of people stress over buying the perfect gift. This takes all the fun out of giving; so let’s give ourselves a freaking break here.

Super hero hint: This idea will change your life forever; you can buy multiple people the same gift!! As long as it is nice, who cares?? This year I bought the same gift for all of my friends and family. I ordered in bulk, I will customize each slightly, but everyone is getting the same damn thing, done..fini! I wish I could share what my gift is, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but I will share in my post Christmas post.

1. Hats or gloves

Now you may think how boring! But hear me out; let’s say, you have to buy for 5 of your girlfriends, your sister in-law, brother and coworker. And your daughter wants something for her 3 bffs from school. That is a lot of running around; my solution, get everyone a hat!! Buy a few different styles, but everyone gets hats!!!

C43E7DDD-E8FA-4A42-B8C2-EAF49ED50D21 — Full disclosure, I was going to use these as stocking stuffers, but apparently, I am keeping them, lol. I bought both at Super Store.

There are so many cute hats out there. Now if you’re thinking, my brother won’t be excited to get a hat…well isn’t your brother a super Bruin’s fan? Then get him a Montreal Canadian hat, just for kicks!! Ok, fine, get him a Bruins hat. He will love it. (for non hockey fans, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadians are mortal enemies).

Super hero hint: now I would color coordinate them; maybe a pink theme? My gift bags would match my theme of course..duh! But that’s just me, I am a bit of a freak.

2. Party Pack

You may be thinking, what’s a party pack? Let me show you!

A party pack is a group of things that can be used to entertain. Above, I have a color coordinated serving tray, side plates and napkins. The plates and serving trays were on display together. I found gold and silver napkins a few aisles down. One stop and done!

During my university years, my mother gave my cousin and I a spaghetti themed gift. It included a big pot to boil the spaghetti in, four big bowls and a pack of spaghetti noodles. It was so well thought of yet so simple and original. We got a lot of use out of them!

The idea here is to group a few things together; it’s like making your own gift basket.

2. Super Fan Pack

Do you have a super sports fan on your list? Why not get them a few items from their fav team? You can get them online, so you won’t even need to set foot in a mall if you don’t want too.

What spots fan wouldn’t enjoy a jersey or a hat? Oh, look more hats!! Wrap em up and stick a team Christmas tree ornament on the top of your package instead of a bow. I thought this Vegas Knight getting stuck in the chimney was cute.

A sports hat would also make a great stocking stuffer, FYI.

3. Booze

Yes repeating this idea in my gift section! But taking it up a notch!!

To take this idea to the next level, let’s follow the same gift basket idea from above and pair it with something else.

See what I did here? I added four nice glasses and an ice cube mold. I have the round glob ice molds and I love them. For Halloween, I bought these sculls, they are super cute, but a bit harder to get out of the silicon molds.

4. Monogrammed Anything

I love getting monogrammed things so I am assuming others will as well. With all the online shopping available, getting items monogrammed has never been easier. My Christmas gifts that I bought for friends and fam this year, may be monogrammed???

If you have a traveler on your list, a monogrammed passport holder and luggage tag are great ideas. You could also use my hint to buy multiple people the same gift from above. Get all the friends on your list monogrammed luggage tags; it really is that easy!! A few clicks on your computer and done!!

60BF82DB-5D00-444B-9DA8-3A039BA97C82 — This pic is proof that bangs really aren’t a life choice I should ever make again. 🙂

Bathrobes are another great monogrammed idea. I did these a few years ago. You could also pair them with slippers and a sleeping masks.

Super hero hint: There is nothing wrong with buying a gift to you from you! I do it all the time, lol. I deserve it and you do too!

Here is an example of monogrammed sleeping masks. You could add these to the robes or even to the the passport holder and luggage tag!

Or these would also be a great bulk gift. Order one for multiple people on your list; add some bath salts and voila! You have a mini at home spa/relaxation themed gift.

5. Sticking with only 4 gift ideas here as well, because you should have enough ideas by now. If not, you are hopeless and may need to stick with a gift card? Lol.

Oh wait, I do have one more idea for your wife, mother, husband… Go with the monogrammed bathrobe and put a spa gift card in the pocket!! Ok, now I am done!

Santa’s helper is beat and needs a nap!! Lol. Thank you for reading and for those who share, like and comment; I will make certain that you end up on Santa’s nice list!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Ho, ho, go!!

Liette

Planning the Perfect Christmas Card in 3 Easy Steps.

Have you ever thought, this was the year that you were going to get your shit together and send out the perfect Christmas card? You would find the perfect picture, go online and create something, get it printed and send it out to friends and family…before Christmas?

The thought was there, but weeks later, as you start getting cards in the mail from others, you realize that you have missed the boat again. Aw well, there is always next year right?

Well I happen to be an expert planner and am here to help you if you want to get your cards ready to go this year. Here are a few helpful steps and timelines to keep you stay on track!

(FYI – I am sharing my personal Christmas cards from the past few years, they are at the bottom)

Figure out what you want? Timeline: Now! (ideally before the third week of November).

You need to start by figuring out what you want? Do you want a picture of your kids, family, pets? Or do you want a store bought card? One is not better than the other; you just need to decide and since we are already the second week of November you need to decide now!

Custom – If you want to send a picture with a holiday greeting, you need to select the photo. Take a moment and go through your phone or your Facebook. Find a picture that makes you smile or that reflects a happy moment. And voila! That it, you are done! It’s that simple, you don’t need to plan a photo shoot. That could be a goal for next year? I highly recommend you not try to fit in a family photo shoot the second week of November for your Christmas Card. It will be too stressful and rushed. Give yourself a break and find a nice picture that you already have. My blog is about helping not making you more stressed BTW.

Once you have your picture selected you can use a variety of different online tools and apps to write a message on them. Or if you want a printed version you can place your order online via Cosco, your local drugstore, Vista Print…. So many options that have templates that you can use; they will print and you can have them sent to you or you can pick them up. I would allow at least 2 weeks if you are getting them printed and sent to you.

If you place your order this week, you should have them in hand by the last week of November, which is perfect! If you decide to send via email, you are ahead of the game. Kick back and relax a bit.

Store bought – If you are going the store bought route, you have a bit more time. Go get yourself a fancy warm drink; feel free to add a shot of something in it. I suggest adding a shot of Fireball to your hot chocolate. It’s chocolate and cinnamon, trust me it’s yummy!

Take your time browsing the card section alone or with a friend and select the card that speaks to you. And BTW, I said one shot, no drinking and driving!

2. Who is on your nice list? Timeline: third or forth week of November.

Make a list and check it twice. If you mail out cards, this may take a bit more time the first year, but once you have your list with addresses, next year will be a breeze. Last year I sent out text messages to all my friends and asked for their mailing addresses. Those who didn’t reply, were automatically put on the naughty list.

If you are emailing or even texting your custom cards, you probably already have all their emails and numbers, so again, you are ahead of the game. Have another hot chocolate and fireball! Mmm, I think I need a name for this drink?

3. Get them out! Timeline: first or second week of December.

If you are mailing them, try to get them out by the first week of December; if you miss the cut and send them out the second week, no biggie. I have found that Canada Post is a bit slower than if you are sending within the US. If you are emailing, I would hit send the second week of December.

My Christmas Cards

I only started sending out cards three years ago. Every year I had great intentions, but didn’t properly plan it out. And I felt that I could never find that perfect card. Then I realized; hey I work with designers who apparently can be bribed to help me! I now taking advantage of my them, I rotate so that I am not always asking the same people for help, lol. FYI, I am not a horrible person, I treat them very well! They get special treats for helping me.

In the past two out of three cards I used pictures taken at Halloween. My strategy had been to find a funny picture first and then create funny text to go with them. My Meowy Christmas is a perfect example.

Meow Front — This was my first card. I was a cat for Halloween and I have great potential to be a crazy cat lady, so thought it was funny.

Meow Back — This was the back of the Card: This is still one of my favs, it’s super cheesy, just like me.

I obviously don’t take myself too seriously. The following year was my first full year living in the desert, so I found a wintery, snowy picture.

I think I felt a bit of pressure to maintain the same level of cheesyness from the prior year and I feel liked I choked! Lol. My “moose” card was ok, but it was too safe, lol

I should also add that in my attempt to be inclusive, I misspelled Hanukkah, nothing but class here! Lol, my apologies.

This brings us to last year’s card. It is my most controversial card to date!! Lol. So for Halloween 2017 I was a deer; actually I was a dead deer…twisted? Yes, but I thought it was funny.

I then had an amazing idea to use that picture for my Christmas card, the dead one, not the cute live one. Ok see below, then we will discuss, lol.

Capture — None of Santa’s reindeer were harmed in the creation of this Christmas Card. And yes that is blood running down Rudolph’s forehead.

Back — This is the back of the card, some got it, others did not.

So there you have it, I killed Rudolph in last year’s card. I stand by that card, even though it was a bit dark; ok, a lot dark, lol.

And that brings us to this year’s card. I looked through my iPhone pictures and couldn’t find anything inspiring. So I came up with the wording first and my friend, who is an amateur photographer, and I went to the desert and shot a few different things.

As per my guidelines above, I am on track and will have my cards in the mail by the first week of December.

Let me know if you are curious about this year’s card, leave a comment below. If people want me to share I will right before Christmas.

It’s currently snowing here, I am feeling very festive! Thanks for reading!

Muah!

Liette

Christmas Bucket List

15 Things to do before Christmas!

Here is my personal bucket list; I will do my best to complete each item on this list! I will do a post holiday wrap up, or should I call it an unwrapping, lol? I will report back on which items I completed and which, if any, I missed.

I encourage you to use my list as inspiration or to create your own. It’s good to set goals, even if they are silly; especially if they are silly!

Before we get started, I realize that the holidays can be hard for some people. I get that, I really do. This year will be a trying time for my family. But instead of curling up into a ball and wishing it away; we have decided to go for it, full on! I have advised my mom that her house is going to look like Christmas threw up in it!! She laughed and is completely on board.

If you don’t love this time of year, try to do one or two holiday things and see how you feel. Sound like a plan? Let’s do this!!

1. Buy a new winter hat!

Starting off with an easy one!! I love shopping and I love hats so this one is easy peasy and already done!! I actually bought two new hats…moving on to the next item.

423141B0-E328-4F91-8E3A-2163064811A3 — This hot pink beauty is new. How much do I like hats? Just noticed that almost all pictures in this post have me sporting a different hat! Lol

2. Make a snowman or snow angel.

I realize these are weather permitting. Here’s the thing friends, life is short, life gets busy and adulting is hard. Soooo if you are fortunate enough to find yourself in front of the perfect fluffy, yet sticky snow, jump in!!

I am hoping for snow so I can check this one off my list. If you complete this one, please send me pics!!

346B8628-2D96-4E38-91B9-FFCAB27E19A2 — I don’t have real kids, but I have a few fake ones. Get them out of the house and play in the snow with them!!

3. Go skating or snowshoeing.

Snowshoeing is weather permitting; it’s actually my favorite winter activity. You may think it sounds lame and boring, but there is nothing like snowshoeing in the forest on a sunny day! Fingers crossed that we will get enough snow here before I have to go back to Vegas. Skating can be done inside or outside, so no excuses for this one!

E5D0F0BC-8145-4EA6-8BAD-F2EDBD4F3CE2 — The top picture is my pairs partner and I training for the Canadian Figure Skating Team, we just missed qualifying. Bottom right is a skating party that my bff Stacey hosted in her backyard a few years ago.

E108F23C-8E52-4584-945D-3B2B5EB14B15 — My fav winter activity! When I am done with Las Vegas, I think I want to work for Tourism NB. There are sooo many amazing trails and fun things to do in the winter here!!

4. Make Christmas Cookies!!!

Invite friends or family over to bake some Christmas cookies. I know from Facebook that a lot of you already have this tradition with your families. My family and I have started our own cookie baking tradition. This year is our Third Annual Cookie Baking Party; this year’s event is already scheduled. I will be sharing details of how we cookie it up!!

8BFF8426-48D3-4175-82C6-67D6ED94DDB4 — A few pics from last year’s family cookie baking party. We specialize in chocolate peanut butter balls, technically not a cookie, but delish!

5. Kissing under the mistletoe!

I figure if i get some mistletoe the kissing will naturally follow. Going with the: “build it and they will come” theory. Will keep you posted! 💋

6. Glitter it up!!

In my opinion glitter is never a bad idea! ‘Tis the season for parties, go for a bit of glitter!! Sequins if you are feeling bold; glitter gloss at the least!!

I was supposed to go back to the US before coming back to Canada for Christmas. But plans changed. This means that all my glittery stuff is back in Vegas; so I will need to shop for more…challenge accepted!

7. Be Nice

We should always try to be nice, but let’s try to be extra nice this time of year. I usually try to donate blood right before the holidays; give the gift of life if you are able, it’s free! Doing something nice for others in need doesn’t just help them, but it will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

As mentioned in my opening, the holidays can be a lonely time for some. You never know what others are going through, so let’s try not to be assholes, lol. And if someone is rude to you, shake it off, they are obviously struggling with their own issues.

And remember the more the merrier; especially this time of year. My fam adopted two strays a few years ago and now we can’t get rid of them!! They are now part of our Christmas Eve tradition and have become part of our family. I now can’t imagine Christmas without them!! xox

8. Be Naughty!!

Be naughty, but in the very nicest way!! I will let you use your imagination for this one, lol, have fun!!

9. Santa Selfie!

Last year I volunteered for our staff kids party, mostly so I could hang with the big man in red, lol. Here’s a challenge for you; if you are taking your kids for their annual picture with Santa, get in on the action. They will probably think it’s funny and who doesn’t want to be the fun mom, dad, aunt, uncle….

It’s so easy to take ourselves too seriously!! If you don’t have kids, get a few friends together and go sit on Santa’s lap!! I double dare you!! Send me your pic if you do!

I plan on taking my 16 year old nephew for a picture with Santa. Part of my duties as the world’s best aunt is to embarrass him right??

8B8CFE09-8A9F-4174-95CA-94A5E6FDAE5A — If you can’t find Santa, Santa hats are the next best thing. My work peeps and I do Christmas photos every year. One serious and a few that are super silly. I didn’t have permission to share the silly ones, sorry! lol

10. Christmas Cards

I am all about technology, but there is something awesome about getting a Christmas card in the mail.

I haven’t always sent cards, but I do now, and I try to make them funny. Some years I succeed, some…not so much. I’ll admit that last year’s card may have been a bit ridiculous and some didn’t get the joke, but I am fine with that, lol.

I encourage you guys to send cards, send pics of your families, your kids… I love them all!! So thank you.

Also, I will be doing a separate Christmas card blog post shortly, where I will share my card designs for the last few years.

11. Christmas Movie Marathon.

Baby it’s cold outside! Why not stay in and watch Christmas movies? The holidays are fun, but can be exhausting! Everyone needs a day or evening to do nothing, but watch Christmas movies.

The Hallmark Channel becomes my favorite channel this time of year. The story lines are basically all the same, but I don’t care, I love, love, love!

My top three Christmas movies of all time are:

The Holiday
Love Actually (I made my friend watch it a few years ago and she thought it was horribly depressing, lol)
Elf
What are your favs??

12. Rock Your Winter Jammies!

Growing up my parents used to let us open one gift on Christmas Eve. It didn’t take my brother and I long to figure out the pattern; a new pair of pajamas. This seemed like a cruel joke as a child, but I think it’s an awesome idea now that I am an adult.

FAF6B73C-2460-42F5-B6A3-0F84789E956F — Last year we had a red and white pj party after our big Christmas Eve dinner. I want to take this opportunity to thank my family and friends for letting me boss them around year after year! FYI our theme for this Christmas Eve is: Mad for Plaid 🙂

13. Deck Your Halls!

Some people don’t decorate for Christmas and I just don’t get it? This is a great family or friend activity; if you don’t want to put up a big tree, get a tiny tree or a few balls in a bowl. I once had a Christmas Tree decorating party; where each person was told to bring an ornament. It’s a fun way to decorate my tree.

I won’t be able to decorate my own place this year in Vegas, so I am going to help decorate my moms. We will crank the Christmas tunes and go wild.

I love decorating and I think I am pretty good at it, but when it comes to Christmas decorating, my aunts and cousins on my dad’s side take it to the next level. I plan on doing a post on them. I haven’t asked them yet, but I am pretty sure I can convince them to let me interview them and take pics of their work. I’ll get helpful hints and share!

14. Winter Hot Tubbing

This is a new tradition that I am starting this year. I am currently working on creating a list of all friends with hot tubs!! Lol. If you haven’t been in a hot tub in the winter while it snows big fluffy flakes, then you are missing out. Who wants to hot tub with me?? lol

When making your own Christmas List, be sure to add original, fun things to do!!

15. Count Your Blessings.

I saved the best for last. It’s easy to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, that we forget to be in the moment and reflect on what is most important. For me it’s friends and family, I feel blessed and I try to be thankful and appreciate what’s in front of me at that very moment.

I will say that with social media, it can be a challenge to focus on what we have and not what we see others have. I will tell you that no one’s life is perfect, we are all just doing the best we can. Just because someone can take pretty pictures, it doesn’t mean that they have everything figured out.

Personally, for a long time, I secretly wished for the type of family that sits around the dinning table for hours discussing important issues; you know like they do in the movies. But that’s not us! I had to get over that fantasy and go with what I have. And what I have is an amazing family that love me no matter what? That encourage and support me even when they don’t really know what the hell I am doing.

So our dinners last 18 minutes start to finish; instead of getting frustrated, I have learned to adjust. We now play games after dinner, we laugh, I make them change into their pajamas, it’s all good!

So as always, I hope you enjoyed this post and come away with an idea or two from my list. Let me know what you like to do every year for the holidays? I am always open to trying new things. And would love to hear about what your holiday traditions or activities are!

Muah!

Liette

Happy Halloween!!

Just a quick post to wish you all a Happy Halloween!!!

I hope you have had some spooky fun this month. If you haven’t, it’s not too late!! You still have a few days, so get cracking! Carve some pumpkins, make some scary cookies, dress up for a party, you really only live once…I think?

3FBAEBF6-E592-485D-AC2A-3277707E3A1A — I didn’t exactly carve a pumpkin this year, but this works. We had our annual work pumpkin throw down.

My October has been very busy, but I got my spook on. I visited a Haunted Museum and survived zombies in Vegas. In Paris, I visited the Catacombs and saw lots of real skulls & bones…it was freaky. And today I went to see a ballet at the Smith Center in downtown Vegas. You’re probably wondering, what makes a ballet an acceptable Halloween themed activity? Well it was a Gothic ballet based on Dracula. Nothing screams Halloween more than skulls, zombies and Dracula!!

41FC96FB-EEA8-4799-A310-10A202EA469A — I am not a big ballet person, but when I saw this one was a Dracula theme, I knew I had to attend. It was beautiful! I loved it!

I am finishing off the month back in Canada; where I have a girls dinner party planned on the 30th. It’s a Trick or Treat theme, each person has been instructed to bring one gift and we will swap. I thought it would be fun, plus I love gifts, lol, giving and getting.

Then Trick or Treating on the 31st! Ok I may be too old for that? But I am certain I will find something to do.

For those who have read my October posts, I hope you were inspired to enjoy some fall fun.

FC40809F-F622-478A-8E8B-2A99DBB6C26D — The scariest thing is how quickly the month has flown by!!!

What’s next? Christmas!!!!! The only holiday that I love more than Halloween is Christmas; I have some fun posts coming up in November and December.

Thanks for reading friends!!!

Let me know if there is something you would like to see me write a post on or if you have any questions? I love hearing what you think.

Muah!!

Liette

Real Scary Shit in Paris!

Disclaimer: This post is about the Paris Catacombs; it contains pictures of real skeletons, readers beware!

Last week while in Paris, we visited the Catacombs museum. With Halloween a week away, I though this would be a perfect creepy post to share.

2239E44B-46D0-4212-A9D6-B68952283388 — I chose this for my cover pic because I thought that the blurryness fit the spooky mood of the location. I was thinking, please don’t freak out, please don’t freak out!! Lol

It is said that there are more dead Parisians under the city than there are living in Paris. The Catacombs run for hundreds of kilometers under the city. A very small section is open to the public; this “museum” is unlike any other.

Helpful hint #1, buy your tickets online before you get there. The lines are long!! There are two lines, one for those buying tickets onsite and one for those who pre-bought online. The line for those who have tickets is much, much shorter.

As soon as you walk in, it was clear that this is going to be a freaky experience. You start by going down a metal spiraling staircase with 180 stairs that quickly bring you 20 meters under the city. This is probably not a great activity for anyone who is claustrophobic!! Or anyone who is super tall, lol.

This video shows the walk towards the galleries where the bones are displayed. Creepy right?

Once you get to the bottom, things get real, real fast!! I am not claustrophobic; or I didn’t think I was, but as we walked towards the entrance I did get a bit freaked out. Helpful hint #2; don’t overthink the fact that you are 20 meters underground, lol.

A791438B-20C6-4189-B553-710AE1172329 — I took this selfie at the base of the staircase. You can see a slight WTF am I doing here look on my face. I was able to calm my mind and power through.

I told my friend Claudia that I was feeling a bit anxious; she did the right thing by ignoring what I had just said and started talking about unrelated stuff. I think I just needed a moment to climatize; it gets real dark, real fast too!

ADC3F049-B33C-4F70-95A7-951D2250E276 — To change my focus from the fact that we were 20m underground, I started taking pics and videos, it helped.

Full disclosure, you are allowed to take pictures and videos, they just ask that you not touch anything…mmm no worries there! At first I wondered if it was disrespectful to take photos? Millions of people a year visit the catacombs and do take pics; and the museum itself has photos of the remains on posters, flyers…I was mindful to remember that these walls of bones were once people. Some families were taking pictures of their kids in front of the remains…yeah, too creepy for me!!

View as walking towards the chambers or galleries to the remains. I found parts strangely beautiful…did I mention this is 20 meters underground??? Lol

These are limestone quarries that originated in the 15th century.

8BD4959C-E2E6-4CA9-B579-CA511B519FA9 — This sign was a clear indication that this was going to be unlike any other museum I had ever visited before.

This sign is a warning of what lies beyond this point. It says: Stop! This is the empire of death. Mmm nothing creepy about that!! Lol

So here is a super brief overview as per the guide.

One of the largest Parisian cemeteries was closed in 1780, due to safety concerns. Little by little the quarries began to House bones from all the cemeteries of central Paris. Basically because they wanted to expand the city, so cemeteries were closed and the remains moved.

At some point a dude called Hericart de Thury, created a theatrical display with the remains, similar to how a museum would display objects. The overall impression he wanted to create was one of respect, mediation and fear.

The catacombs have been open to the public since the early 19th century.

My impression was a combination of awe for the sheer size and the intricacy of the displays and creeped outness, new word, just made it up (meaning to be super creeped out).

D20A6659-2920-4288-AFC9-0CB2F071040C — There are different patterns of displays. One thing I did wonder, what did they do with the pelvic bones??? Just a thought.

During our time in the catacombs I found myself getting caught up in the stories, we paid extra for the audio tour, it’s a must. It’s beautiful in a morbid and surreal way. It’s easy to forget that each bone belonged to a person.

I am not a super religious person, seeing all these skulls and bones really brought home that we leave our bodies. What’s left are just bones. And that we each have a short time here.

Being surrounded by so many who have passed reminded me to live life as best I can. My final hint for this post is more a hope; let’s try to not be shitty people!! Lol

If you have time, I would recommend visiting the catacombs.

I will close on a lighter note, they had a pretty decent boutique, I bought a cool skeleton umbrella. And FYI, those 180 steps are much easier going down than they are coming back up! And 20 meters is approximately 63 feet.

I would like to know if you would visit the catacombs if given the opportunity? Yes? Or is it too creepy for you?? Share!

Happy Halloween!!

Boo!

Liette

Royal Fun at Versailles.

People rave about Paris in Spring; well let me tell you Fall doesn’t suck either!!

When traveling through Europe it’s easy to get museum and church overload. Each one is more spectacular than the next, you want to see them all. And then it happens, they all start meshing together until you can’t remember one from the other.

Versailles is a must see when in Paris. On my first visit when I was 17, I did the guided tour; which was great, but years later, ok a lot of years later, my memories have faded. This time I wanted to do something a bit different that I wouldn’t forget.

You can book tours that include your transportation and entry, but the most economical and fastest way to get there is by train. It cost us 7€ and took us approximately 25 minutes.

Upon arrival we decided to skip the long line of tourists waiting to get into the chateau…damn tourists!! Instead we headed for the gardens. I had run out of time on my first visit to see them; so on this visit we decided we would start there.

I promise you this is not fake. This is the view from behind Versailles; basically, this is the backyard.

Our plan was to rent bicycles…yes you can bike through the grounds of Versailles! How fun is that??

Turns out the bike rentals were at the very opposite gate to where we entered, but that was perfectly fine because we wandered through beautifully manicured arches and hedges. The weather was perfect, they had music playing in the gardens; it was magical!

ED04282D-65DA-40D7-99AE-FD183E87C761 — See, manicured arches and hedges, lol.

While walking through the gardens, we tried to imagine what it would have looked like with Marie Antoinette and her ladies in waiting prancing around. That is until the sudden smell of pizza washed over us, lol. It was the strangest thing. We got closer to investigate, mostly because we were getting hungry, and behind a tall green hedge was an outdoor canteen. We passed on the pizza, but did get a baguette with ham & cheese and waters; it seemed more French.

We made our way to the bicycle rental area. You can also rent golf carts, but that just seemed super lazy. We places our baguette and waters in our baskets and ring, ring, we tested our bells a few times, and we were off!!

Basket…check, bell…check, matching black turtlenecks…check!

This is by far my favorite thing I have done in Paris. The grounds are beautiful and so big!! This I will remember!

We found a picnic table underneath a tree and had our ham and cheese baguette. Side note, when in France you need to eat a ham and cheese baguette; it sounds boring and plain, but it’s delish! Everything seems to taste better here.

On our way back, we rode past a field of grazing sheep, it was all just so picturesque!

After returning our bicycles and making our way back to the entrance of the château, it was already 4pm. It closes at 6pm; this meant that the long lines were gone as most tourists were gone or leaving. October is also considered offseason and it was a Thursday. If at all possible try to avoid weekends, it’s less busy.

By the time we finished touring the main part and made our way to Marie Antoinette’s wing; most everyone had left. It sort of felt like we had the place to ourselves, which was awesome! And I suspect very rare.

DCA2FEA8-A7B6-417E-A905-3392CC9886B1 — Claudia holding court. We pretty much had the courtyard to ourselves at this point.

I highly recommend taking Versailles by bicycle! It made it much more than just looking at pretty things, it was fully immersive.

We made it back to Paris where we had yet another amazing meal!!! I recommend trying baked Camembert with honey, it’s to die for!!

To walk off the cheese and bread of the day; we headed to the Eiffel Tower to watch it shimmer. It sparkles & shimmers for 5 minutes on the hour every evening. I don’t imagine this sight ever get old.

Merci for taking the time to read about my Paris adventure!

Bisou!!

Liette

The Perfect Paris Day!

Paris is a city for lovers, but it’s also a great place to travel with one or your very best friends as well!

My friend Claudia and I booked our trip to Paris months and months ago on a whim. I had a few other trips and huge work projects right up to our departure date; so this chronic planner didn’t have much planned for Paris.

We got matching carry on cases because we are nerds. I usually check my bag, she shamed me into a carry on! Lol

Claudia is a great travel partner, she enjoys looking things up and finding fun things to do. It’s a treat for me to not be “in charge” from time to time.

We kicked off our first full day in Paris sleeping in; this wasn’t planned, we were awake for a little over 24 hours the day we arrived. Side note, Las Vegas to Paris is far!!!

After being well rested we decided that we would spend our day browsing, shopping and eating; pretty much in that order. This turned out to be the Perfect day in Paris!

The view from our hotel room. You can see the Eiffel Tower, I circled it in case you missed it!

Before anyone starts to get all ”judgy” about how Paris is a city of great culture with museums and churches…let me share that both Claudia and I have been here before and have visited a lot of museums and churches!! And for the record; I think that roaming around a city is the perfect way to soak in the local culture. And shopping helps the local economy…you’re welcome Paris!! lol

Le Bon Marché

Moving on; in her research, Claudia found this place at Le Bon Marché that has a kiosk that welds gold bracelets to your wrist. That was our first stop of the day…well second actually, we stopped for chocolate croissants first. A girl got to eat and when in Paris, a girl got to eat chocolate croissants!

Le Bon Marché is a beautiful department store, full of high-end shops, some too high for my budget, but well worth visiting regardless.

We found l’Atelier VM on the first floor. It’s a small jewelry counter where you select your charm and chain; we chose matching dainty gold bracelet and a charm, I had an “l” engraved and she a “c”. We decided to splurge; a special gift from us to us to celebrate our matching new promotions at work…we are sort of a big deal…now, lol.

Once our jeweler engraved my charm, he placed my arms in a machine; I asked if anyone had ever lost a hand in it? I thought I was funny, I am not certain if he did or not?

Inside this machine, the ends of the chain were welded together. Which means there are no clasps and it can’t be taken off. I think this is the perfect way to celebrate a milestone with a great friend in a magical city!!

Le Marais

Our next stop we wanted to go to Le Marais, which is un cartier or hood with a lot of beautiful shops and restaurants; it is located in the Jewish district. Instead of taking the metro we took a taxi and I am glad we did because we were able to see more of the city.

We had the taxi driver drop us off at Place des Vosges, as it looked to be in the heart of things. It’s the oldest planned square in Paris.

Did I mention there was a gelato place right near the square??? No? Sorry, my bad.

We happened upon Traiteur Boulangerie, the smell was intoxicating, we decided we needed to stop and share a latke.

Every cafe and boulangerie is picture perfect!

This is such an amazing area, I recommend getting lost in it. Don’t look for places, just happen upon them. We stumbled upon an old vintage clothing store, then a papeterie, where I bought lovely cards.

We spent 7 hours, exploring. We saw churches, where we admired the architecture. It was just a truly perfect day!!!

It was almost 9pm when we made it back to the hotel. Quick change for dinner and gone again. Every meal here so far has been amazing!!

Did I mention we did some shopping? The secret to not looking like a tourist is to wear all black. Some of our purchases…all black!!

I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring. Sometimes the best plan is no plan!!

À plus tard!!

Bisou,

Liette