• Line up of Nutcracker Toy Soldiers at Jardin des Tuileries Colleen's Paris
    Christmas,  Going Out

    Christmas Magic Begins at Jardin des Tuileries Market

    What greets you when you enter the Annual Christmas Market at the Tuileries Gardens?  Nutcracker Soldiers. And before the market opens? Where are they? Hidden, waiting to get out in the open. I noticed them while crossing the gardens on November 18. My eyes fell upon rows of black hats. The trove of Nutcracker Soldiers holding horns or standing at attention were lined up. Their expressive eyes were waiting for a magic moment. The magic moment I later learned was November 19, 2022, the opening day for the Magic of Christmas market (La Magie de Noël aux Tuileries). The Nutcracker Soldiers reminded me of the Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s funerary…