Article by Melissa Ladd

It was the end of November, and we were all still a little shaky from the attacks in Paris. But the #estorynoel was a good way to celebrate life, togetherness, the holidays and all the liberties we enjoy in this beautiful country. I was so glad I went, I got to catch up with some blogger friends, meet some new ones and check out a pile of gift ideas from the brands promoted by the Eparisiennes : Sheilly and Nathalie of Willina agency. Here’s the social media story of the evening.

And now, I will tell you about my favorite items that were on display that evening in case you need a little last minute gift idea :

The Paris Chocolate. Hands down, amazing, melts in your mouth incredible artisan chocolate. And omg, they have the best brand name EVER!!!! PARIS CHOCOLATE! With that trademark, you can go anywhere with your product. Plus it’s amazing. They have these little miniature macarons made of chocolate. I tried the pain d’épice (basically pumpkin pie spice), and I was SOLD! I’ll take a case please! EVERYONE would love this as a gift.

For bags, or home decor, there was a fantastic brand called 727 Sailbags. All of their products are made from salvaged sails from French sail boats! Everything is made in France. The quality is outstanding and the originality is enticing. On every item, there is a tag that explains from which boat the sail was taken, and where that boat has sailed. This is a fabulous gift for sailors and travelers alike.

For a sparkling soirée to celebrate the New Year, I fell in love with the champagne they promoted from the Aube region of France. Often overlooked, this region has champagnes that can rival the big brands. They are delicate French champagnes with beautiful flavors. And they have a much lower price tag (it costs less when you don’t have to pay for all that advertising which is mostly what you buy when you go for the major brands). So pop a cork from l’Aube this season and may your soirée be bright and sparkly!

There was a board game that beats ALL board games. Le Jeu Qui Rend Super Happy (The Game that Makes You Super Happy), is just about the best invention as far as board games go. It’s almost a way to practice being nice, being positive, polite and having fun at the same time. All thos nay-sayers who think the French complain too much and are super impolite can now zip it, cause this game was invented by a French person! I think everyone NEEDS this gift.

The soirée was catered by Allo Resto, a restaurant delivery service in Paris that has been around for almost 20 years!!!! Way before people were all connected to the internet and way before you could have imagined that you could get a restaurant meal delivered. It’s run by the same CEO and he takes care of his employees. They are a happy bunch. I was very impressed by their attachment to the company they work for. (That’s a good sign). Allo Resto is a great solution for those winter nights when you don’t want to cook, but you can’t bear to eat pasta again. They also now have an app! Bon Appétit!

For more pictures from the soirée click here.