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D ecember 22 – The Eiffel Tower always looks lovely, regardless of the time of year.
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In spring, surrounded by the freshly opened buds decorating the nearby trees,
the tower resembles a fancy ornament strategically placed by a landscape artist,
handmade by someone in a foreign country so that the cost to you doubles. The hefty
investment pays off, however, by the complement-filled conversations started by friends
and family who travel to see it, now your pride and joy. In summer, droves of romantics
disrobe at its base alongside the tourists seeking refuge under the waning shade. Ice cream
vendors and souvenir peddlers collect money so easily one would think it actually grew
from the metalwork. If it did, however, it is a fact that the Parisian upper-class would call
it a disgrace and proceed to poison the seeds of money in the name of preserving their
beloved national treasure, while, of course, pocketing a few to grow their private collection
of Euros. In autumn the tower blends into the changing color palette, offering stunning
photographs of its architecture robustly framed by the semi-nude branches of the maturing
trees. If you’re lucky, after an October rainstorm, you can catch the reflection of it beautifully
complicated by the lights of Paris. And then there’s winter. Freshly fallen snow blankets
the surrounding sidewalks. Couples young and old bundle together, wrapped in seemingly
endless pieces of material, Chanel, Lanvin, Dior, and Givenchy working together to keep
the collective visitors fashionably warm, fashion trumping warmth if ever a choice had to be
made. Frozen not due to the temperature but out of sheer respect of the season, the tower
stands still, monstrously erect but with the decency to remain without offense, reminding
all of Paris that this season, this wonderful and crazy Christmas season, is a gift, filled with
enough magic to light up the world, if only you take the time to stop, look up, and notice.