French actress lights Christmas in Paris

The Champs-Elysees in Paris was twinkling more than usual on Monday after popular French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg officially switched-on the city's famous Christmas lights.

A large crowd gathered to see Gainsbourg and the Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, push a button to not only turn on the lights, but release a flurry of shiny confetti onto the street.

The 415 trees that line the Champs-Elysees will sparkle, from Place de I'Etoile to Place de la Concorde until January the 10th.

For the past three winters LED technology has been used for the spectacle, allowing the city to reduce its energy consumption during the period of the illuminations by more than 70 percent.