Paris lights up for Christmas
Christmas preparations have started in Paris and the traditional seasonal market was inaugurated on Wednesday near the Eiffel Tower.
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Parisians and tourists gather near helium-filled balloons which suspend a Santa Claus figure riding a horse-drawn chariot made of balsa wood, while other skate on an ice skating rink across from the Eiffel Tower as part of the holiday season.
But behind the splendours, crisis will not spare Christmas, according to a TNS Sofres poll:
- The average Christmas family budget is down 5.7 per cent compared to last year;
- 45 per cent of French people said they will spend 150-450 euros on Chrismas presents;
- 37 per cent said they will reduce their expenditure for the festive season and only one in three will go away on holiday.
But French children send the highest number of letters sent to Santa Claus in the world - 1,7 million in 2012, ahead of Canada and the United States,
And they will probably not be disappointed.
The average Christmas budget for children's presents is rising three per cent this year.
According to the Universal Postal Union (UPU), based in Switzerland, no less than eight million letters will be sent worldwide this year, most of them are addressed to "Santa Claus, North Pole".
They could end up in the bin but luckily some elves at post offices answer.
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