About Carnet Parisien
An independent editorial project about Paris, its landmarks and the culture of celebration.
What this is
Carnet Parisien is a small editorial journal. It publishes essays about Paris — the history and engineering of its landmarks, and the texture of its seasons — together with writing on holiday customs around the world and the etiquette and anthropology of gift-giving.
What this is not
Nothing on this site is offered for sale. There are no products, no prices, no checkout and no advertising slots. The journal exists to be read, not to convert — its only metric is whether the next essay is worth your ten minutes.
How we write
Each essay follows the same editorial promise: describe real, documented traditions; prefer the specific detail over the vague generalisation; and never invent statistics, quotes or sources. Where customs vary by region or family — and they always do — the text says so.
Sections
- The Eiffel Tower — the construction, the scandal and the physics of the iron landmark.
- Experiences at the Tower — a floor-by-floor guide to the monument and its neighbourhood.
- Paris in December — illuminations, window displays and the season's slower rituals.
- The Gift Guide — a method for choosing presents by attention rather than by category.
- Holiday Traditions — how France, Germany, Japan, Scandinavia and Mexico meet the darkest weeks of the year.
- Gift Etiquette — wrapping, timing, the card, and when not to give at all.
Photography credits
The photographs on this site are reproduced under free licences from Wikimedia Commons contributors: Benh Lieu Song (public domain), Tristan Nitot (CC BY-SA 3.0), Jorge Royan (CC BY-SA 3.0), Yann Forget (CC BY-SA 4.0), Lisatakesphotos (CC BY-SA 4.0), Diliff and Fir0002 (CC BY 2.5), Alex Holyoake (CC BY 2.0), Jebulon (CC0), and Louis-Émile Durandelle's 1888 construction photographs (public domain). The tower itself, completed in 1889, is in the public domain.