A Christmas romance set during the Fête des Lumières in Lyon

Every year around the eighth of December, Lyon holds the Fête des Lumières. People put small candles called lumignons on their windowsills, and the buildings of the city are lit up after dark. Visitors come from all over the world to walk the streets.

For readers who want a Christmas romance set in France, it is hard to think of a better backdrop.

A city between two rivers

Lyon sits where the Rhône and the Saône meet. The old town climbs a hill, the quays run along the water, and in December the cold comes up from the rivers in the evening. It is a city of food, of small squares and of steep stairs, and it feels very different from Paris.

That difference matters to a reader. A Christmas romance in Lyon has its own colours and its own pace, so it doesn’t feel like a story you have read before.

Why a festival suits a love story

A festival gives a story a clock. The lights come on for a few nights and then they are gone. Two people who meet that week know from the start that their time is short, and that pushes them to say things they would otherwise keep to themselves.

It also fills the streets. Hotels are full, restaurants are full, and there is nowhere to hide. For a writer who wants to keep two people in the same building, a festival is as useful as a snowstorm. Our guide to snowed in romance books explains why that kind of setup works so well.

Light in the dark part of the year

Christmas stories are about warmth at the coldest time of the year. Candles in every window are that idea made visible. A scene where two people walk through a city lit by thousands of small flames needs very little dialogue.

Where the festival comes from

The tradition goes back to the nineteenth century. On the evening of the eighth of December, the people of Lyon lit candles in their windows, and they have done so every year since. Today the candles share the night with large light shows on the city’s squares and buildings.

For a novelist, that mix of old and new is useful. A character can stand in a crowd watching a modern light show and then walk home down a quiet street where every window holds a small flame.

Christmas in a hotel

Hotels are good places for Christmas stories. People who should be at home are far from it. The staff become a kind of family, and a dining room with a tree in the corner can feel warmer than any house. A snowed in hotel at Christmas gives a romance everything it needs in one building.

Questions readers ask

When is the Fête des Lumières in Lyon?

The festival takes place every year around the eighth of December and lasts a few nights.

What are lumignons?

Lumignons are small candles in glass holders. People in Lyon place them on their windowsills during the festival.

Is Winter Lights in Lyon a Christmas romance?

Yes. Winter Lights in Lyon is subtitled A Christmas Romance. It is a cosy, funny story told by both leads, with a happy ending.

A hotel on the Rhône

Winter Lights in Lyon by Hallie Brennan takes place in a family hotel that has stood on the Rhône since 1931. It has a leaking roof, a lift with a mind of its own and a boiler the staff call La Bête.

Claire comes from London to sign off on its purchase and be home by Friday. Mathieu, who holds the building together with his own hands, has no intention of selling. On the eve of the festival, a snowstorm closes the airport, and Claire ends up in the attic room across the landing from his.

As the city fills with light, the deal she came to close turns into the one thing she can’t bring herself to do.

If you want a cosy Christmas read with snow, candlelight and a grumpy hotel owner, start here.

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