Today marks my final Christmas Gifts of 2024 post. (I promise!)
Years ago we came up with the idea to create a Christmas morning treasure hunt for the kiddos with a series of clues leading to a joint gift. They loved the experience and, without really trying, this became yet another beloved family tradition.
By now the kids expect a treasure hunt, but they donât know what theyâre going to find at the end. The first year it was the booking confirmation for a one-night stay in a hotel, the next year it was new saucers for sledding in the winter, the following two years it was our itinerary for a trip to South Carolina to visit family, and last year they found out we were going to Barcelona over spring break. The theme of their treasure hunt gifts has definitely been overwhelmingly travel related.
We write the clues in rhyme* and itâs a lot of fun for us to prepare…and for them to solve. Itâs the final present the kids open on Christmas morning and while I never remember to take pictures of the unwrapping process, I always put the first clue inside a stacking set of wrapped boxes so it takes them several minutes to actually get to the teeny, tiny box at the centre which holds a slip of paper with their first clue.
*Full disclosure that ChatGPT did help us fine-tune the rhyming on some of the clues this year!
This year, to throw them off the scent, we didn’t leave the “clue” gift under the tree. Twenty or so minutes after the last present was opened we asked the kids who would like to do us a favour. We told them we had something we needed from the trunk of the car. Belle offered to help…and when she opened the trunk she let out a squeal. It was a wrapped package addressed to both kids which said to take turns opening the layers. I could tell they were relieved we had come through with a treasure hunt. They didn’t complain or ask about it, but I’m sure they were bummed by the sight of a bare tree and wondering why we were breaking tradition!
THE CLUES
A Day in the Life of Belle and Indy
1. Alarms Blaring + Breakfast (*inside multi-layered box)
Morning begins with flaky delight,
Find your next clue near a pastryâs bite.
2. Walk to School (*clue taped to the underside of a box of croissants)
Hats, gloves, boots â bundle up tight,
Off to school in the morning light.
But if your feet start dragging slow,
Sit for a moment where dreamers go.
Some benches rest ‘neath grand towers of steel,
Some are more common, more rustic, more real.
Relax for a moment, just outside the door,
A clue awaitsâyou shouldn’t need more.
3. Itâs Time to Learn (*a bench we pass on our walk to school – in addition to Clue #3, Clue #4 was stapled to it…but Clue #4 was in Danish)
Hip, hip, hooray, youâve made it to school!
Books and pencils â youâre ready to rule!
Gym gets you moving, then music plays sweet,
And art brings creations that canât be beat.
French? Oui, bien sĂ»r, youâre learning with glee,
But howâs your Danish? (Not the pastry â ask me!)
4. Lunch Time (*the kids ran to my SIL and she translated this clue from Danish which led them to the mailbox)
Postkort, blade og pakker finder I der,
Et sĂŠrligt sted. der venter jer.
GĂ„ en tur udenfor, fĂžlg blot vejen,
Til stedet, hvor skatte og post bliver skĂŠnket.
5. Bus Ride Home (*clue in mailbox)
The bus rolls up, and off you go,
Your stomach grumblesâyouâre feeling low.
Itâs not a famous bakery selling treats good to eat,
But Grammieâs cookies still canât be beat.
Warm, soft, and baked with care,
The sweetest smells are waiting there.
So follow your nose to the place thatâs best,
Where Grammieâs oven does all the rest!
6. Feeding Time at the Zoo (*clue under a tin of cookies at my parents’ rental)
Sigh⊠Dad picked the movie, and what a surprise,
It’s one that we hate, it won’t win any prize!
Remyâs the star, tugging hair here and there,
Cooking up dreams with a chefâs special flair.
So grab some fluffy blankets and get nice and snug,
Itâs time for __________ â check under the rug.
8. Snuggle and Tickle Time (*clue under the rug in our family room; but they thought it might be at my parents’ place, so apparently they looked under EVERY RUG IN THE HOUSE)
At the end of the day, when the lights start to glow,
The couch calls your name for a cozy little show.
One special ornament sparkles extra bright,
Tall and glittering in the soft twinkling light.
Under the City of Lights youâll find your next clue,
Look to the tree â itâs waiting for you.
We threw them off the scent…again! When they got back to our house, there was a gift bag under the tree. Inside were some specific treats John brings home from Norway that they love but don’t get very often. (Smash, if you were curious!) We had to point out that finding the bag didn’t necessarily fulfil the message on the clue and they eventually figured out they needed to look inside the Eiffel Tower ornament.
9. Bedtime (*clue inside the Eiffel Tower)
One more game you plead with Dad,
Learning vocabulary is never bad!
Thereâs just one more hurdle.
Youâll need to solve a custom Wordle
For this youâll have to use your smarts.
But hereâs a hintâŠyou can start with FARTS.
THE GIFT
By the time Belle raced to John to do the Wordle (he used an app) she knew exactly what five-letter word to enter! And she was right!
WE’RE GOING TO PARIS!!!!!!
John had some frequent flyer perks that were about to expire*. We looked at all sorts of options: Italy (I wasn’t 100% ready to go back to Rome so soon), Croatia (too hard to get to with points), Munich/Prague/Vienna (not ideal weather), Greece (hard to get to on points). The cheapest option ended up being Paris, France!
*When John travels for work – and via various credit cards – we get frequent flyer miles (Aeroplan), but he also gets “priority rewards” which give him special discounts on ticket fares while also reducing the number of miles he needs to redeem (so tickets cost less and our points go further). It is an incredible deal and something we recognize is a tremendous perk of his job. (Though it does mean he has to be away a lot which comes with difficult tradeoffs.)These priority rewards expire, so it is a case of use them or lose them.
Belle has always wanted to go to Paris and we quasi-promised we’d get her there before her 16th birthday.
All in, round-trip airfare for the whole family cost $666.68 CAD (~$460 USD). Without Johnâs perks and reward miles the same trip would have cost over $7,000!!! It felt like an opportunity too good to pass up.
If anyone has suggestions for our trip to Paris, please share!!
Current plans/ideas: The Louvre and Musee D’Orsay (definitely), Versailles, Mont Saint-Michel (I really wanted to make it to Mont Saint-Michel…but we’ll only have time to fit in so many day trips and it looks like double the distance from Paris than I thought; Versailles is likely the better option), see the free view from Galleries Layfayette (yes), go to the top of the Arc de Triumpf (maybe). Do a walking tour with the kids (maybe; Belle is interested in a food tour – any suggestions for kid-friendly food tours in Paris?), take the train to Amsterdam to visit the Van Gogh Museum (maybe). Go visit the church at Auvers (hopefully!). Go to Palais Garnier (I’ve never been and it looks stunning, though not sure if the kids will appreciate the architecture; unfortunately, the ballet Sleeping Beauty is all sold out – it would have been so exciting to see a ballet in such a famous theatre). Eat in the Latin quarter (yes, please). Visit/go inside Notre Dame (definitely; when John and I visited in 2019 it was closed due to the fire). Walk to the top of SacrĂ©-CĆur (one of my favourite experiences from our 2019 trip and it’s the one “climb” I want to make sure we do).
Your turn.
- Tell me some must-see things that aren’t on my list for this trip to Paris.
- In general, any suggestions related to spending time in Paris are welcome!
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Central Calif Artist Jana
Elisabeth, you and John are genius parents, and I want you to adopt me. (Pay no attention to the fact that I am probably your parents’ age.)
Elisabeth
Ha! Can you talk to my kids sometime? In the last month I have learned I “don’t dress like a cool mom” and I’m “boring”. Sigh. I know they have a CHARMED life and assume they will look back many years from now – especially if they have their own kids – and appreciate the effort and intentionality we’ve put into raising them. But for now, I’m just the mom who reminds them to brush their teeth, suggests they include fruit and veggies in their lunchbox, and makes them read for 15 minutes before they go on the computer. In other words, they live under Draconian law đ
Nicole MacPherson
PARIS!!! Your treasure hunt is so fun, can I come live with you?
I’m so excited for you! We are going too – in the fall! Mais oui!
HOLY CRAP that is a good deal on flights. Yay for John and his million work trips! I know it sucks to have him out of town a lot but wow, is that ever a nice payoff!
I’m so excited for you!!!!
Elisabeth
Nicole, I am ready to adopt you!!! I’ll even cook for you some nights of the week. We could trade off!!
I had no idea you were going to Paris. First it was Rome, now Paris. Are you going to tell me you’re going to Portugal, too? Barcelona? Maybe sometime we’ll actually cross paths on one of these trips <3
It is a wonderful tradeoff for all the time he has to be away. Also, our kids aren't getting any younger and now that Belle is officially a teen, I feel like the clock is ticking even faster. Summer jobs and final exams and college. Gah. Travelling as a family will get harder, not easier. So I'm really proud we're going for it now. In some ways COVID came at a good time - obviously it was horrible and I wish it had never come - because we really weren't ready to travel with kids until 2022ish. My sister had a trip to Paris booked with her family and they had to cancel it because of COVID and now...it will likely never happen. One kid is married and expecting, another is in nursing school. The window of time to travel as a family can be short, I guess is what I'm trying to say!
Diane
How exciting!
I love a good food tour! It’s one of our “must dos” when we travel.
I haven’t been in Paris in maybe twenty years – I remember eating lots of pastries and walking around a lot. We did go to Versailles. Mont St. Michel is on my list of places I want to see, though.
We did go to Amsterdam in 2022 – so much art there. If you do go and want to tack on a second museum there, I really loved the STRAAT Museum of street art. It’s a gigantic warehouse with a changing exhibit of murals and you can sometimes see artists working on things. It was an awesome riot of colour and shapes. And you can buy spray paint at the gift shop and go out behind the building and make some art yourself.
(this reminds me that I never finished our Amsterdam recaps…. should get on that – we saw so much cool stuff there!)
Elisabeth
I’ve never done a food tour. I tend to really scrimp on food spending. I love food, but I’m pretty content without anything being fancy. But I really DO want to do something memorable to do with food and a food tour would cross multiple things off the list.
I REALLY want to go to Mont St. Michel. It’s just a bit too far for a day trip.
That art museum that is interactive sounds like something the kids would absolutely LOVE.
Theresa
A few years ago I spent a month in Paris with my 5 year old. We used this book. It was a bit too advanced for him at the time, but we still enjoyed it. I suspect a 10 year old would like it, particularly in the big museums. https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Paris-Scavenger-Adventure-Travel/dp/0989226743/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
Another tip: if your kids like to draw, bring colored pencils and a notebook and have them do some sketches in the museums. It could be of the art or the building or people. It helps keep them engaged.
And here is an AMAZING Italian restaurant we stumbled upon that is great for both parents and kids: La Capannina – https://maps.app.goo.gl/PtCYNrabHsYXnr1ZA
A rather pricey but very special treat is getting hot chocolate at the Four Seasons George V hotel bar. Itâs probably 30 euros, but there is enough to share. And it is an experience! They bring the molten chocolate out in an interesting vessel and provide milk to thin it with and a bunch of mixings.
Elisabeth
Theresa, thank you SO much for weighing in. I am excited to receive any and all suggestions.
I now have that book in my cart – a scavenger hunt. How perfect is that after the kids finding out about Paris at the end of a scavenger hunt of sorts. Yay! I would never have found that book with your recommendation, I’m sure of it. And it sounds like a great way to keep the kids engaged.
I have also made note of the restaurant! And we will DEFINITELY be doing hot chocolate there. I have very vivid memories of the thick chocolate and then the warm milk to thin it out. Such an experience! (And my kids both LOVE chocolate/hot chocolate).
Marcia from OrganisingQueen
My kids want to be adopted by you đ What a fabulous present!!!
Elisabeth
Aww. That’s so sweet. Trust me, my kids have days where they’d like to be adopted by someone else. But it will be a very special trip, I’m sure!
Jenny
HOW EXCITING! And what an amazing deal on the flights. The kids must be thrilled. The only problem is, you’ll never be able to go back to having just an “ordinary” treasure- like a night in a hotel just wouldn’t cut it after these special trips. When is the Paris trip going to happen?
Elisabeth
Jenny, I know. I was literally thinking the other day – WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?!
We had no plans to go away this spring and actually only booked the tickets a week or so before Christmas. Our plan was to just give them the special candy (which they would have loved). What do I do? When does this end?! Or, maybe, I just embrace it while it lasts and maybe a cheap trip becomes the tradition until it no longer works or is feasible? But I HAVE THE SAME QUESTIONS.
We’re going in the spring <3
Alexandra
Those clues were so damn good you had me scratching my head and smiling. Love it! And then? To find out it’s a trip to Paris? Priceless.
There are soooooo many places and things to do. So many streets you can walk down for free to see historic buildings and gardens.
Free things include:
âą Notre Dame (but it’ll be busy)
âą Pere Lachaise Cemetery (The biggest in Paris)
âą Basilique du SacrĂ©-CĆur de Montmartre (again, busy but what a view)
âą Luxembourg Gardens
âą Galeries Lafayette Haussmann (Go to the rooftop terrace for the view and see the Opera building)
âą Le Marais (To window shop, th eplace is beautiful)
⹠Marché Aux Fleurs
âą Parks inc: Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, Bois de Vincennes, Bois de Boulogne, Parc de la Villette and Tuileries Garden.
Don’t forget, museums are usually FREE on Sundays!
If your hotel offers a good breakfast, always fuel up before going out. So hotels will make you up a picnic basket or lunch packs (for a fee). Great for a picnic day out sight seeing. Hotels also always have tickets for shows, or can book you. And you have to do the streets at night for all the lights! It’s a must. If you are not already dead on your feet.
And now, I’ll butt out before I write a book.
Elisabeth
We went to most of these places on our solo trip in 2019, and I think the kids are old enough to appreciate most of these things.
The weather could be…hit or miss. That’s what I’m most “worried” about. It will be fine and we’ll plan accordingly, but when John and I went in 2019 the weather was truly perfect so there were no coats or umbrellas needed and it was so easy to just stroll along and eat street food or pack a picnic. We shall see! Either way, it will be great.
Write the book! I love suggestions and there are a few places in your list that aren’t ringing any memory bells.
Suzanne
PARISSSSSSS!!!!! 2025 seems to be The Year of Paris — I know so many people who are going. We are going, too! My husband has been making a very detailed itinerary. I think one of our day trips will be to Brussels, since none of us has been to Belgium before. We wanted to go to Mont San Michel as well, but ruled it out because it definitely doesn’t seem possible as a one-day trip. (I have been once before, though, and LOVED it, so if you can make it work, you should!!!) I think we may also eschew Versailles for one of the other palaces — Fontainebleau maybe?
You got SUCH a deal on the flights! Flying is so expensive, bah.
Elisabeth
Wait. What?! You’re going too? And Nicole!! How exciting. What is in the water?
I think a lot of people put off going because of the Olympics?
I’m very sad about Mont.SM…sigh. I really thought it was about 2 hours away which was very doable. 4 hours…not so much. Sigh.
I’ve never been to Versailles and have no real attachment to going, it just feels like a thing one must do at some point? But maybe not?! We shall see. I haven’t actually sat down to plan a single thing.
Ernie
This is an amazing gift and a really fantastic delivery. I love it. We once did a treasure hunt, not nearly as involved as this, to tell the kids we were going to Disney, I think. They were so excited. It wasn’t related to Christmas. I was only in Paris briefly when I was in college, so I don’t have suggestions. Maybe I missed it, but when is the trip? Kudos to you for finding the time to plan this treasure hunt while also hosting guests and singing in the choir and preparing all of the other gifts. You really are an organized, creative person. Your kids are so lucky.
Elisabeth
The trip is this spring!
I will admit that organizing is my specialty. The flip side of that is that I can get pretty antsy when I’m not able to organize/control things.
Disney! Now that trip would have made the kids even more excited. But I’ll admit I have zero desire to go to Disney…which doesn’t make me sound very fun? All the crowds and rollercoasters. A hard no to both!
kate
My fam and I have been to Paris often and 2 trips (one with kids and one without) within the last 12 months. Please share the approx dates you are going and I will try to offer suggestions.
Elisabeth
Thanks for reaching out via e-mail, Kate. I really appreciate it <3 I've responded.
Elinoora
That’s an amazing treasure hunt! Also, exciting, you’ll be in my corner of the world! If you decide to go to either Brussels or Amsterdam and would like to meet up, let me know đ if you want more tips for either of this cities, Brussels has a great comics museum.
For Paris, I went with two other friends and 3 kids last war, we actually booked an Airbnb in Saint Denis, and it was great. Easy train access to the rest of the city, and the cathedral around the corner.
We also got the kids’ portraits drawn, which was a lovely souvenir.
Elisabeth
Ohhh! That would be so fun. I’ll e-mail you to get some more particulars. I need to start planning! I don’t have anything done except the tickets. But I really appreciate the heads up about places to look for an AirBnB. I took someone’s suggestion for where to stay in Lisbon and it was PERFECT.
Allison McCaskill
Insanely cool – the trip and the treasure hunt. It would be criminal to pass up an opportunity like that.
Elisabeth
Thank goodness we didn’t break the law!!!
I mean, it is pretty insane, right? Your husband must get a ton of frequent flyer miles, too?
Lisa's Yarns
Gah as a Francophile, this is so amazing! How long will you be there? If it’s a week, I would only go to Versailles and save the other side trips for another trip. There is SO MUCH TO DO IN PARIS. You will definitely want to get the Paris Museum Pass. It’s way cheaper than paying admission at each place and you can use it for 2 days out 3 consecutive days, or 3 out of 4, I think? I did the 2 out of 3 days with a break in between heavier museum days. With the pass, you can stay for less time and not feel like you wasted money. Like you could pop into the L’Orangerie to see Monet’s water lilies (which you def should). I actually did not go to The Louvre until my 3rd trip to Paris because it is so big and overwhelming. d’orsay is by far my favorite as it’s a beautiful museum and not so overwhelming.
If you guys ride bikes, I highly recommend the Fat Tire Bike Tour. It’s good to do at the start of the trip to get the lay of the land. The guides are so entertaining! if you do the evening one, you get to ride on the Seine!
I’m so excited for you! You will have the best time! And you guy earn those rewards with all the time that John travels for work! I saw my former colleague today and told him that I made platinum and he said he thought it was more appropriate to say “sorry” instead of “congratulations.”
Elisabeth
We’ve now talked about this offline, but YAY! I knew you’d be so happy for me and I 100% agree that there is so much to do in Paris.
We will be there for 9 days/9 nights (we arrive early in an morning, so will fit in lots that first day, and fly out at 1 pm on our last day, so won’t actually fit in any sightseeing.
Life has felt extra chaotic lately and we only just booked the tickets right before Christmas so I haven’t really settled in with my laptop and some maps for a few hours yet and I know I’ll feel better once that is done and I have plotted out the major highlights we want to see/done some research. Next weekend, maybe?
Your comment about how John’s flying status could be seen as a negative was a HUGE reason he took a 6-month sabbatical. So I have never forgotten your take on what frequent flyer status represents. Thankfully it doesn’t seem quite as taxing now that the kids are older (and he tends to mostly just be going to/from Europe instead of west into the US and then all the way to Australia and Japan which were LONG flights and exhausting trips). I mean…it’s still a lot, but I’m really happy we’re making the most of one of the very shiney silver linings.
Sarah
HOW AWESOME!!!!!!! I love the clues and treasure hunt– so clever.
Elisabeth
Though, as Jenny said, where do we go from here??!
Like can we give the kids some new socks at the end of next year’s treasure hunt?
Andrea
Long-time lurker here, but I feel I need to comment here!
First, awesome gift, and what a way of revealing it.
I travel to Paris about once a year (for work), mostly because from the province of Quebec, CDG is usually the gateway to Europe.
We took the kids (then aged 15, 13, and 10) a few years ago. Here’s my take on some elements of your intended itinerary:
We could have skipped Versailles, and that is especially true if Napoleon’s quarters are open when you visit the Louvre. With that said, my kids preferred d’Orsay to Louvre, and we only went to Louvre because my husband insisted. (Kids would have been happy to do only one art museum.)
A favorite church of mine in Paris is St-Pierre de Montmartre, just around Sacré-Coeur. I find the (modern) stained glass windows really vibrant.
The Paris Museum Pass can be a good deal, but if you do buy it, make sure to reserve spots (where needed) early (e.g, for Louvre). The Pass can be useful to just peek into a museum (or use the attraction as a pit stop and use their washrooms…).
The kids enjoyed the play structure at Parc de Belleville (from the top, you can spot the Eiffel Tower). Otherwise, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont (and the Canal St-Martin area) is a favorite park (great for picnic or people watching). We also really like the Promenade plantĂ©e / CoulĂ©e verte (similar to NY’s highline).
The kids also enjoyed the street art (space invaders! murals!).
There are so many short trips you can make from Paris. Lesser known, but very easy to do is Lille, almost on the border to Belgium. Great architecture, and good food. And if you rent a car there, you can tour nearby attractions, including Vimy, where the Canadian government runs a memorial (you can go in the trenches).
Elisabeth
Thanks so much for weighing in (and always lovely to hear from fellow Canadians).
I will admit to feeling Meh about Versailles, especially in the early spring when the gardens aren’t going to be great.
We will definitely go to both the Louvre (the kids both really want to see the Mona Lisa and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Louvre before; we found a guide for a 2 hour tour of the best things to see, I think – I should also look up some Rick Steeve’s audio tours. I bet he has a great one of the Louvre?) and d’Orsay (John LOVES d’Orsay and it is such a fun, accessible museum.
I have a picture of St-Pierre, but we didn’t go in!
Thanks for all the other great suggestions (that park with a view of the Eiffel Tower sounds perfect). We did the Promenade Plantee when we were there the first time so will likely skip it this time.
We love street art and I think there are a few Banksy’s that we’ll make sure to see as well.
So many things to see and do. I feel like we could spend months in and around Paris! Alas, 9 days will have to suffice.
J
Oh goodness, I really, really want to go back to Paris. I’m so excited that you are going!
We went to Mont. St. Michel when I was there in 2022, and it looked like it was going to be a 4 hour drive on paper, and that’s what our app said, but it was definitely longer. There are tours you can take from Paris by bus, they leave very early and come back late I expect. It was REALLY crowded during the busiest part of the day, which is when the tour buses get there. If I were going, I would do what we did, and stay overnight. Would I do it again? Probably not. It’s a lot of driving. Am I sorry I did it? No, not really, it was a bucket list item for my cousin, and when would she have another chance? We also went to Rouen, which was cool, and we saw where Joan of Arc died, and the Cathedral, and the restaurant where Julia Child fell in love with French cooking. And we went to Monet’s gardens as well. It was 2 long days with a lot of driving (Paris > Monet > Rouen > overnight near Mont St Michel (kind of wish we had stayed ON it, might have been cool) then Mont. St. Michel in the late morning (we overslept) to afternoon, then > Paris.
I have not been to Versailles. My cousin said that the rooms at the Opera Garnier are almost as lovely, and right in Paris.
The stained glass windows at St. Chappel are stunning.
We didn’t go, but there’s a chocolate museum I think that could be amazing.
We stayed in Vincennes, which is to the east of Paris. I would rather stay in Paris proper, so you can go back to your room/apt and rest, then go back out, which we never did. We left and went to Paris, were there all day, then back to Vincennes in the evenings. Having said that, it was JUST outside of the city, and you could probably save $$ by getting an Air BnB there.
We adored the MusĂ©e de lâOrangerie, I feel like you went when you were there before. The Water Lilies are amazing, but there is also a lot more impressionist and post-impressionist art.
I am so excited for you, you are going to have such an amazing time. I know that John’s travel for work is a huge pain in the butt, but WOW, what a silver lining. I don’t remember what I paid for my ticket in 2022, but it was a lot.
Melissa
Paris exciting! As you know, we love food tours. In Paris with the kids I would say do a chocolate or patisseries type tour, most other tours are heavy on cheese and wine so maybe not great for the kids? When we took Sara we did a french desserts course so that may be another option? Not cheap but a memorable experience. We were in Paris in April and the weather was beautiful, but they said it was unusally good for that time of year. Angelina for their hot chocolate. For the Louvre I think the ANE galleries would be most interesting to kids, more so than looking at paintings. FYI the ANE galleries at the Louvre have various exhibits that will connect with the stories in the bible (I think from memory something to do with Cyrus … or maybe Darius?) But definitely items from the time of Babylon and Persia as well as Ancient Egypt. We did the Kings apartments tour at Versaille which I enjoyed a lot. The gardens are beautiful and you can ride bikes. The kids would enjoy Matie Antoinette’s little village I think. Maison Isabelle for croissants, worth waiting in line. Maybe the Catacombes if they’re into that kind of thing. The Paris Brest from Jeffrey Cagnes (expensive but so good).