The Galeries Lafayette Christmas Tree: 2019–2025 Photo Book

The Galeries Lafayette Christmas tree is the heart of the Paris holiday season. Printemps and La Samaritaine always look gorgeous too—especially their window displays, which kids adore—but nothing beats the tree under the glass dome at Galeries Lafayette.

It’s more than a decoration. It’s a tradition, a little piece of magic that makes Paris feel like Christmas again.

For me, as someone who’s lived here for years, seeing that tree marks the real start of the season. I go every December—usually with a coffee in hand—to see what story this year’s design will tell.

Here’s a look back at the trees from 2019 to 2025, and how each one has turned Christmas season in Paris into something unforgettable.

Galeries Lafayette Christmas Tree from 2019 to 2025

Christmas in Paris’s department stores is a long-standing tradition. But nothing compares to the Galeries Lafayette tree on Boulevard Haussmann—it’s the one everyone comes to see, glowing under the glass dome.

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2025: The Best Gift of All

The 2025 Christmas tree at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann is a bold, whimsical creation by illustrator Jeanne Detallante, known for her collaborations with Prada, Miu Miu, and Carven. Suspended under the store’s iconic dome, the giant tree is wrapped in swirling ribbons of red, gold, and vibrant patterns, topped with an oversized bow and surrounded by floating golden ornaments.

This year’s theme pays tribute to the decorative arts, transforming the department store into Santa’s fantastical workshop. Elves, dreamlike creatures, and intricate toys fill the space, echoing Detallante’s surreal, high-fashion style.

On view from November 12 to January 4, 2025, it’s the centrepiece of Galeries Lafayette’s holiday spectacle.

2024: Le 130e Noël

In 2024, Galeries Lafayette celebrated its 130th Christmas with a tree that mixed Parisian nostalgia and Olympic sparkle.

The design came from Kevin Germanier — the Swiss designer behind the “Golden Voyageur” costume at the Paris Olympics closing ceremony. True to his style, the tree shimmered with recycled materials, 20,000 programmable lights, and a fiber-optic firework bursting under the dome.

The look was inspired by the store’s 1950s window displays and its newly restored Byzantine façade — a blend of old Paris glamour and quite bold modern energy. I remember standing there, surrounded by people craning their necks upward, and thinking: this is what Paris does best — tradition with a touch of showing off.

2023: The Christmas of My Dreams

In 2023, the Galeries Lafayette tree looked straight out of a dream.

Created by designer Charles de Vilmorin, it mixed Tim Burton’s imagination with a dash of Dalí’s surrealism — bold colors, floating shapes, and playful faces that seemed to come alive when the lights dimmed.

It was a tree that made you stop and stare, part childhood fantasy, part high-fashion art piece. Standing under the dome, surrounded by that swirl of color and music, it felt like stepping inside a storybook written just for Paris. But not a boring one.

2022: Planet Fir

In 2022, Galeries Lafayette gave Christmas a cosmic twist with its “Planet Fir” theme — a mix of sustainability and sparkle. The tree, mostly made of cardboard, glowed in shades of green and blue, a playful nod to protecting our planet.

That year also came with a sweet story by writer Claire Castillon: Planet Christmas, about Nordmann, a tree from the planet Elato, sent to Earth to help a little girl named Annie save Christmas.

Illustrated by Florent Chavouet, the story came to life through light shows and interactive screens. Kids loved it — and honestly, so did most adults. It turned the store into a mini universe where imagination and holiday spirit met halfway.

2021: 1,2,3… Christmas

In 2021, the Christmas tree in the Galeries Lafayette was all about fun and nostalgia. Heavily inspired – or sponsored? – by video games and the iconic Lapin Crétin (as Raving Rabbids are called in French).

Unmissable on this tree? A Raving Rabbid holding a retro game controller and a cosmonaut Santa spinning around the dome stole the show.

The space-themed Santa was a nod to Thomas Pesquet, the French astronaut who captured imaginations during his missions aboard the International Space Station.

It was bright, cheeky, and wonderfully over the top — the kind of tree that made kids laugh and adults smile, even if they didn’t quite get the video game references.

2020: A Christmas Journey, Le voyage de Noël

In 2020, Galeries Lafayette took inspiration from a real Paris story. Back in 1919, aviator Jules Védrines famously landed his plane on the store’s roof — and that daring moment became the spark for the year’s theme.

Under the artistic eye of Belgian illustrator Tom Schamp, the tree turned into a colorful flight of imagination. Planes, stars, and tiny explorers circled the branches, inviting everyone to dream a little beyond the year’s heaviness.

Called Le Voyage de Noël, it was a celebration of discovery and hope — something Paris really needed that winter.

2019: The Christmas Beehive

In 2019, Galeries Lafayette turned its Christmas tree into a golden beehive, topped with a regal Queen Bee surrounded by winter flowers.

Every half hour, the lights flickered to life — bees buzzing, wings glowing, the whole tree humming with energy. Outside, along Boulevard Haussmann, the windows told the story of The Christmas Beehive: eleven little scenes showing bees baking, decorating, and getting ready for Christmas Eve.

It was playful, detailed, and irresistibly joyful — the kind of display that made both kids and grown-ups press their noses to the glass..

Wrapping It Up

Each year, Galeries Lafayette takes the idea of a Christmas tree to a whole new level. These trees aren’t just decorations — they mark the start of the Christmas season in Paris and remind everyone, locals and visitors alike, to look up and let a little magic in.

Do you have a favorite from these years?