Tomorrow you head to Paris for Thanksgiving. Feast on the architecture, the history, the art, the cosmopolitan vibe. Take a boat ride on the Seine, lose yourself in the Louvre, worship the Impressionists at the Musee d’Orsay, eat dinner in the Eiffel Tower, think along with the Rodin sculpture, drink coffee in a café along the Champs Elysee, pause and count your blessings at Notre Dame, and take the kids to a marionette puppet show and watch their faces.

As much as you want to wear your gorgeous camel-hair Calvin Klein jacket, remember the six-day forecast: cold and rainy, rainy and cold, gray and grayer with a chance of snow, rainy with a 100 percent chance of cold, cold with a 100 percent chance of rain—you get the picture. Remember you will be walking from Metro station to destinations, all day, in this miserable weather. You do not tolerate cold well. Forget the fashionable coat, felt hat with the brim, and the cashmere scarf that will look oh-so-sharp. You will freeze. You will get wet, and once inside the museums, you will not want to haul all that around in your arms.

Take your Columbia parka. It’s not hip but it’s oh-so-practical. Warm. Waterproof. Attached hood. Zip pockets. It’s what a Grrrl needs even if it’s not the first thing a Grrrl wants to wear in Paris.

And let’s talk about the shopping. Buy yourself an ornament for the tree. Pick up something cool for Susan and Hannah. Get Emily a beret. Maybe treat yourself to a new hat. But do not go into Sephora. Repeat after me: I will not go into Sephora, I will not go into Sephora, I will not go into Sephora, I will not go into Sephora, I WILL NOT GO INTO SEPHORA! Are you hypnotized yet? Are you in a mind-altered state? Remember, you have all the skin care, bath products, and makeup you need.

Don’t cross that threshold of temptation. Don’t part with another euro for beauty products. As Mark Darcy famously said to Bridget Jones, “I like you. Just the way you are.” There is nothing in that store that will make your life better. Inhale. Exhale. Keep walking. When the Sephora sign beckons, be strong!

And don’t forget the fabulous leather journal your pals gave you before you left the States. Remember the V-Grrrl creed: live to write, write to live! There are some things you can’t leave behind without compromising your truest sense of self.

Have a wonderful time! Live well and be thankful. Hug Em and Andrew and channel their excitement. Hold hands with E-Man. Take lots of pictures. Savor the moment. And stay warm….

November 23, 2005