Missing Snowfalls and Other Firsts From Afar

On being a part of a 'collective wow-ness.' Plus, Bridget Jones is back and more!

Two things I normally celebrate in Paris happened this week without my being in Paris to celebrate them. I realize this is obvious considering I no longer live in the city, but these two events seemed significant enough to recognize.

First, there was my “Paris-iversary.” Monday, November 18th would’ve marked 10 years of living in the city. Like birthdays and other important occasions, the date will forever remain etched in my brain, whether I’m counting or just honoring what it represents. I always felt leaving before I reached 10 ans (not to mention the Olympics) was a bit of a bummer; premature even. But the circumstances were what they were and life isn’t as poetic or on-the-nose as we may want it to be.

Here in New York, it was a fairly ordinary day; if I were still in Paris, it probably would’ve been, too. Though, perhaps with an increase in blood sugar. The past few years I’d taken to honoring the day by simply purchasing a decadent pastry from a boulangerie and eating it at my kitchen table while looking out at the Haussmannian building across the rue. My final Paris-iversary last year, however, provided an additional surprise treat: the theft of my handbag while dining out with a dear friend. So as melancholic as the date may feel now, back then all seemed in divine order.

From left: a calendar reminder the day I left, a package from Mom one year later, a choux in 2022, and cocktails after learning my handbag had been stolen on my 9-year Paris-iversary.

The second event that occurred in Paris this week without my being there to acknowledge it? It snowed! Any precipitation in Paris is a big deal. When it rains, locals complain to no end. But when those drops become less wet and more white, the city almost shuts down as a result of both distress and excitement. I’ll never forget the first time I saw someone sweeping snow off the sidewalk. They don’t do shovels because there’s rarely a need for them. Yet, despite the snow not accumulating enough to make a snowman, if you are in Paris when it snows you better believe you’ll be dancing in it, sticking your tongue out in it, and, yes, documenting and posting about it.

Snaps from my snowy Paris in 2018, 2021, and 2023.

I’ve experienced the glory of it before, but when I woke up yesterday morning to a feed filled with flurry after flurry, falling sideways from rooftops and beneath umbrellas from street corners, it tugged a little harder at my coeur strings. I was no longer part of the collective wow-ness that got to encounter it first-hand, and subsequently share it with the rest of the world.

But don’t cry for me, France, Argentina, and wherever else you’re reading from. When it snowed here in New York for the first time last year, you better believe I ran outside to frolic in Central Park, cementing my role as a born-again New Yorker eager to be a part of a new collective wow-ness.

February 2024 snowfall in NY, with a special appearance from Lindsey!

It was the same for trick-or-treating in the West Village and cheering on runners during the marathon, and it will be when I see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons inflate next week—with my nephew, to boot! These are the wows I get to collectively experience now and they are also something to behold. They may not make it any easier to miss those that became part of my every day for nine years back in Paris, but what a privilege it all is. And as I inch closer and closer to completing a full circle around the sun since I left, I suspect it will start to sting less—especially as I run out of official reasons to recognize them. When “firsts from afar” turn to “seconds” and “thirds,” I fear they are not nearly as sexy—at least to the outside world. For me, though, they’ll be dates, snowfalls, and more that hit home from the inside, where they’ll remain timeless toujours.

Wishing everyone honoring Thanksgiving next week a wonderful day full of gluttony, gratitude, and awkward-free family moments. Thanks, as always, for joining me here. I’ve got another two SHOWGIRL posts, as well as some end-of-year HAIKU REVIEWS for paid subs, so if you’re feeling extra this holiday season, I hope you’ll consider upgrading or gifting someone a subscription. Otherwise, I’ll be traveling internationally for the next few weeks and will see you all just before we dive into 2025. xx — Sara

---

Clickable

• “There is room for all of us.” |

  Marianne Power

• One writer learns to ‘Let It Be’ when traveling with Mom. | AFAR

• “You speak the truth, even if it’s only to yourself.” | Harper’s Bazaar

• Harrison Ford is such a fun curmudgeon. | GQ

• “Why didn’t a majority of voters see these things?” |

  The New Republic

• Making the case for dullness. | Intelligencer

---

Watchable

This SNL sketch—“Bonjour, Hi” about a French Canadian news show—is pretty damn funny because it’s pretty damn accurate. Cue the bof-ness.

Can’t believe they killed off Mr. Darcy, but I’m still pretty excited about this Bridget Jones sequel featuring almost the entire original cast and a hot new edition, Leo Woodall. I know how I’ll be spending Galentine’s Day.

I’m not sure we needed Jimmy Fallon and Jon Hamm to remake the music video for Creed’s “Arms Wide Open,” but I sure do appreciate it.

---

---

Currently Overthinking…

…phrasing and word choice for a LinkedIn post…what to pack for two weeks in New Zealand…

---

Souvenir: Millefiori Candles

It’s officially decorative candle season (we’ve moved on from gourds), which got me thinking about these sphere-shaped candles of my youth, so-dubbed “millefiori” as the pattern resembles thousands of flowers. I just remember purchasing mine wherever I got incense and bootleg tapes of Grateful Dead shows. Et toi?