Free skating at the Hôtel de Ville.

Email from Meredith and Walt, writing from San Francisco. Sent via the Internet: Wednesday, 22. December 1999:-

Ric,

Christmas here in San Francisco will be a 2-day affair.

Christmas Eve, we join friends and family for a special dinner. Following a lovely caroling service, our friends prepare a dinner reflecting their Polish immigrant parents' roots. Two kinds of kielbasa, pierogi (spelling optional), and mushroom soup. The kids are bored, but the adults love it. All is served with excellent Champagne.

Christmas Day brings a morning jog along the ocean, a beautiful choral service at our church, then dinner with just the two of us - or maybe a friend or two. This year, it looks like a starter of fresh cracked crab, maybe a white truffle risotto, roasted capon, a gravestein apple tart for dessert, and going deep in the cellar for our best wines - maybe even breaking open that '66 port that has been waiting for the right occasion.

Hope you and all Metropole readers/participants have a lovely, unique, and blessed holiday.

Walt and Meredith

Email from Carolyn B, writing from Sydney, Australia. Sent via the Internet: Thursday, 23. December 1999:-

Ric, really enjoy Paris Metropole, which we've been reading for almost a year. Also love the Thursday/Friday club updates but understand if you don't want to publish twice a week.

Your hot dog and cheese on baguette article and photo was forwarded to our son in the U.S. as years ago he and a friend "discovered " them on a family trip. He's now engaged and will be in Paris for his honeymoon next July. We hope they stop in.

As American citizens and permanent residents of Australia, our Christmas is in Sydney. Many will go to a world class ocean or Harbour Beach for the day.

We'll spend the morning with family, opening gifts, and in early afternoon friends will join us for prawns on the barbie, a swim in the pool surrounded by breezes off the Pacific, and a roast turkey dinner in the evening. That's one tradition we can't give up.

We send best wishes to you and all the Metropole readers for a wonderful day and happy and healthy 2000. Thanks for a great site.

Carolyn B.

Email from Craig Tredeau, writing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sent via the Internet: Thursday, 23. December 1999:-

Bonjour Ric,

This year my Christmas will be special because it will be my 9-month old son Lucas' first Christmas. Christmas eve will be spent going to church and then having dinner with my family.

I will be spending Christmas morning at home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with Lucas and my wife Mary. In the afternoon we will go to my in-laws house and spend the time with Mary's family. Sunday will be spent at home, avoiding the after-Christmas sales.

It looks like it won't be a white Christmas here. We only have a trace of snow so far, unlike our usual 1 or 2 feet. Temperatures are expected to warm-up to 40 degrees (F) for Christmas day, after a week of temperatures around 15 degrees (F).

Merry Christmas and thanks for a great year of Metropole Paris.

Craig Tredeau