Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Christmas in France

                       

Christmas in France, or I should say in Provence is celebrated with simple customs and traditions. From the very first Christmas I arrived in France to this present day, I have enjoyed these moments:

The first week in December is marked by growing wheat grass, (on cotton, in a small container,) for the creche.

On Christmas Eve, after midnight mass, the 13 desserts, (and encore still, the women are thin!) are served.

Buche de Noel (log cake,) usually in Chocolate, but I prefer Chestnut cream!

Noel  you know is how they say Christmas.

The Nativity is called a Creche, and everyone and their dog is in it. Santons are the figurines in the creche. I like collecting old ones from the flea markets, (I beat your saying, no duh!)

Eggnog and candy canes, are replaced by papillottes and dried fruits.

Stockings are not hung, though they put their sabots (shoes,) under the tree.

*Christmas presents are stacked under the tree on Christmas day…

and Christmas is not taken down until after the twelfth day…Ephinany!

Photo: 1950s French tin Christmas…

* I hope there is a large boite de chocolat noir, under our Sapin (Christmas tree,) this year!

Comments

35 responses to “Christmas in France”

  1. Jeanne

    I love to read about your traditions and I love you Sugar Plum.
    Thank pink ornament is calling my name.
    It has been my favorite colour since a small child.
    Blessings to you my sweet friend and your lovely family.
    Merry Christmas.
    The ornaments of the house are the friends and loved ones that decorate it.
    Love you
    Jeanne

    Reply
  2. rel

    Corey,
    Hapy Birthday to Celsea.
    Merry Christmas to You, Yann and all of your family.
    Ah… a French Christmas…
    soon!
    rel

    Reply
  3. patpaulk

    Thin left America in the 50’s. 13 desserts sounds like my kind of Noel. And, I don’t think anyone wants to be putting anything in my shoes, come to think of it, I don’t want anything put in my shoes. Corey, hope you have a great holiday!!

    Reply
  4. Shannon

    I love hearing about French Christmas.
    My grandmother is from Lithuania, so we’ve celebrated with her traditions. Even though I won’t be with my extended family this year, I’ll still carry on with the traditions I know so that my own children can experience them!

    Reply
  5. Marilyn

    Epiphany is the 6th, right? (Catholic school education kicking in…) 😉 I love that idea, but we go a bit longer…we always leave our tree up through my birthday (9th)…and frankly, I’d leave it up all winter if I didn’t fear that the Tree Police might enter our home and mock me. (My father already thinks we’re insane for leaving it up as long as we do…if he had his way, their tree would come down Christmas night.) 🙂 The French traditions sound so much more…civilized…(or maybe I’m just not hearing the part about massive amounts of French people trampling each other to storm a Wal-Mart for the latest video game thing.)

    Reply
  6. susan

    oooh i have wanted to make a buche de noel since i saw julia child make one on pbs years ago…
    perhaps that is for a bit later in my life when there are children visiting as opposed to living under my roof! joyeux noel!

    Reply
  7. naturegirl

    Thank you for sharing with us!
    Merry Christmas to you and yours!

    Reply
  8. cruststation

    Thank you for sharing lovely French Christmas customs and traditions. I especially love the food parts 🙂 Have a warm cozy loving Christmas to you and your family!

    Reply
  9. Dawn

    I love to hear about others’ traditions during this special time of year.
    All the best to you, dear Corey…and may you receive your heart’s desire.
    xo

    Reply
  10. Anna

    Your lovely treaditions remind me of my own as a child in Germany….though different, both meaningful and memorable…..

    Reply
  11. Pauline Clarke

    My Maman made Buche de Noel – a choclate and cream confection that merely the memory of makes my mouth water. You, Tica, should pull a Peter Mayle, and write a book!

    Reply
  12. Star

    Simpler is almost always better. I love that wheatgrass is grown for the creche (we sometimes grow it around Easter to give springtime a boost). Thanks for linking back to the pictures of your special santons; they are beautiful and seem so much more appropriate for the humble scene than the pristine ones mass-produced today.
    I know Jeanne thinks that pink ornament is caller her name, but I think it is calling mine 😉

    Reply
  13. carolyn

    We celebrate Epithany here at Willow House, such a lovely day seems a shame to miss it but it doesn’t seem to be an English or American tradition.

    Reply
  14. Teresa Sheeley

    I love the simplicity of the traditions. Thank you for sharing, I have really enjoyed learning this!

    Reply
  15. Anonymouse

    My eyes blink,
    At all the links!
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, SEVEN!
    That Buche de Noel looks like HEAVEN!

    Reply
  16. Cat

    Thank you for sharing your traditions with us!
    NOEL!

    Reply
  17. sarala

    I like your photos and stories. I want to keep visiting so I’m going to put your link up on my site.
    Happy holidays.

    Reply
  18. Ulla

    Facinating and really wonderful about the wheat grass! Oh I love the Flea Market!!! How is it going???? Happy happy NOEL to you dearest!!!!

    Reply
  19. Darla

    It is so interesting to read of the different customs from different places. Thanks for the links.

    Reply
  20. annieelf

    Enchanting. You had me at wheat grass and kept me with dark chocolate.

    Reply
  21. susanna

    Sounds fabulously festive, Corey! I had no idea that the French grew wheatgrass for the manger. I’m sure there are plenty of French chats who love that tradition! I hope that there is a boite de chocolat noir under my Christmas tree, too! Yum!

    Reply
  22. MB

    I have grown wheat grass for Easter baskets, never thought to do it for Christmas — what a wonderful idea for greenery! The notion of your chocolate chestnut buche de noel makes my mouth water and makes me think I must go down to the local Cafe de Paris. Its boulangerie will have buches de noel! Ohhhh, yum! A wonderful post, Corey.

    Reply
  23. constance

    Thirteen desserts! That’s my kind of Celebration!
    Bonne Noel Corey!

    Reply
  24. tut-tut

    Those pinks mixed with the green . . . and learning a little about Christmas customs in Provence. All beautiful.

    Reply
  25. Pam Aries

    Merci fo posting this ! I am thrilled to read about Provence and Noel traditions! noel!Noel ! NOEL!!!!!!

    Reply
  26. nel

    Corey I love reading about your traditions. I have let them go a little this year being so busy with the house and study, and we lost our beautiful big green tree and all our old decorations in the move. Things from the girls first Christmas and that they had made 🙁 Thank you for sharing your traditions with me 🙂 Have a wonderful time!

    Reply
  27. sage

    I always come away with a wealth of information and I love it!
    Merry Christmas to you and yours!
    hugs,
    sage

    Reply
  28. Amber

    Merry Christmas, sweet Corey!
    xoxox
    🙂

    Reply
  29. Linda

    Merry Christmas and thanks for the year of great blogging and beautiful photos.

    Reply
  30. Britt-Arnhild

    This week they started to sell Christmas trees here in Norway. We have bought a pine tree this year, and will decorate it tonight! Oh, the sweet anticipation 🙂

    Reply
  31. Marie-Noëlle

    There’s so much in this post !
    Growing wheat grass and having 13 desserts … that’s very provençal and it sounds (and tastes) exotic to me… I have got friends from Six-Fours who taught me a lot about Provençal traditions, you’ve just reminded them to me! Thank you!
    Papillotes! We could not do without them here, of course.
    I’ve always seen them at home under the tree or in the tree (as edible decorations)…
    I remember one Christmas when my mum found papillote papers all empty in the tree when guests arrived for Xmas lunch!!!
    Your tree decorations are magical!!! I’m sure each of them has got a story!
    One question: Have you ever managed to find a “vintage” tree? (hm hm…)… that’s a tricky question!

    Reply
  32. Colette

    You bring back so many memories! And in Paris, at Christmas, we would sit around the TV and watch the annual broadcast of…”An American in Paris…”
    Joyeux Noël!

    Reply
  33. Lori Witzel

    Joyeux Noël indeed! Am so glad MB sent you, and you stopped by…I love what you’re doing here, and please let me know via email if I might link to you, so I don’t forget to come back by.
    lwitzel (at) austin (dot) rr (dot) com
    My blog-friends Laura (of Laurelines) and Refugee from Reason are quite happy to see things from France, so will share with them as well!

    Reply
  34. simple me

    There is sweetness all over in this post.
    Happy holidays to you and your family, Corey!
    xxx
    Paula

    Reply
  35. Dimitry

    Good article. It’s very informative for me, because I collect information about Christmas Traditions in different cultures. Thank you! P.S. Ho can I subscribe to your rss feed? Sorry, can’t find it.

    Reply

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