PARIS — Noël has come to one of the world's most famous promenades, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Twinkling stars adorn trees. Shops — from Guerlain to Tiffany & Co. — glitter with holiday decor. Parisians hawk hand-painted Eiffel Tower ornaments, mulled wine and cured meats as overhead speakers play “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” in French. Mixed in the festivities, however, are camouflaged soldiers with burgundy berets and high-powered guns.
It may be Christmas time, but the country remains in a state of emergency following violent attacks by the Islamic State three weeks ago. In other parts of city, memorials — not merriment — line Parisian avenues.
» ONLY ON MYAJC: The AJC's Katie Leslie and Gracie Bonds Staples share their own Paris experiences
From her apartment, Katherine Youngblood, a 25-year-old Alpharetta native who moved to a northern Paris suburb a year and a half ago with her French boyfriend, has a full view of the stadium where suicide bombers detonated explosive vests. The couple live in the same predominantly Muslim community where authorities later conducted raids in search of terrorists who killed 130 people.
But like many of the Georgians living in Paris interviewed for this story, Youngblood says the killings and chaos in no way make her want to flee the world's most intoxicating city. It's important, she and others say, to keep perspective. While the attacks were tragic and shocking, they point out that mass violence doesn't occur as often in France as the United States.
“Tragedies happen in the U.S. every day. Mass shootings don’t really happen in Paris,” Youngblood says, seated on her purple sofa, her nearby Christmas tree sparkling.
Her comments come just hours before a married couple is said to have opened fire on a social services center in San Bernardino, Calif., last Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding at least 21 more. The massacre, which is now being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, made headlines in Paris.
While the Georgians contacted say they feel less vulnerable in France than they do in America, each had different takeaways about what the attacks in Paris mean for this city and their place in it.
To learn more, visit myAJC.com.
About the Author
