The City of Light is shining bright for Christmas --

While plenty Paris residents came out to see the show -- plenty more had something else on their mind -- shopping.

They hit the stores in droves -- during the busiest shopping season of the year.

Even with France's grim economic news, consumer spending is apparently solid.

(SOUNDBITE) (French) MANAGER OF GALERIES LAFAYETTE HAUSSMANN DEPARTMENT STORE, AGNES VIGNERON, SAYING:

"This year we haven't noticed any difference in our customers behavior."

But even if shopping is the mission, Paris refuses to be upstaged

(SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTMAS SHOPPER, TRISTA BRIDGES, SAYING:

"Sure, it's beautiful, it's lot of fun every year, it's a little bit more breathtaking to see all the lights and to see all the decorations, it's always wonderful and then I also think that in Paris people do a lot of things, benevolent things, there is salvation army and many things who support people who need thing