A French Christmas Gathering.

French santons
The French Christmas home decor starts with the Creche (the Nativity scene) whereas in the States the central focus is the Christmas tree. In Provence the santons– the figurines that go into the Creche go beyond the usual line up of: Mary, baby Jesus, Joseph, the three kings—plus a donkey, an angel, a drummer boy, shepherds, sheep and a stable. Don't misunderstand me… they are very important, especially the three of them H.V.M. , J. , and J.C.

santons

santons

In France, or I should say in Provence the Creche is the entire
village: The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, the gardener,
the town chickadee, the fisherman…. each and every person counts. There is even a bad guy (I didn't take a photo of him… do you know he carries a knife?) Seeing the entire village gather around the stable where Jesus was born, makes me feel normal, worthy enough to stand in the crowd and be counted. Does that make sense.

French santon carrying a basket

santons

Collecting the clay santons at the brocante is one of my favorite
things to do this time of the year. Their hand painted clothing and expressions, their rough and tumble state, speaks of many happy Christmases. I am especially drawn to the older ones,
the ones that are slightly broken, chipped and look like they have been
around the block a few times. Personality… yes that is it, French
santons with personality are the ones I am drawn too.

santons

antique santons

I started unwrapping the little, clay,
santon characters. They looked happy to be moving about and had a hard
time standing still for me to take a picture of them.

Their battered, less-than-perfect bodies and faces are…loved. Perfection in being imperfect.

French santons

french santons

Long ago at a Christmas Mass a priest at the church I attended stood up to say the homily. Usually a homily is about twenty minutes or so long, and at Christmas it can go on for eternity… that is to say that the priest stood up to say the homily and he said this and only this, "If Christ can be born in a stable, then he can be born in our hearts." I took that to mean that love can be born and live in less than perfect conditions.

Santons at christmas

French santons tell me the same message. The best gift to give is ourselves with an open heart.



Comments

50 responses to “A French Christmas Gathering.”

  1. Hello Corey. Love the santons. This comment is also a test. It appears that I am having difficulty connecting to your blog while I am at home on my laptop. Can you please confirm that this comment was received? Thank you so much!

  2. Leilani Bennett

    I enjoy and look forward to all of your posts but this one truly touched my heart. Joyeux Noel!

  3. I agree wholeheartedly. (hug)

  4. So well put. I love your santons!

  5. Wow you got the pictures on crooked. Its cool. 🙂

  6. Corey,
    Just a few days ago I wrote something similar on my blog about “the real reason for the season” being about giving of oneself.
    Nothing can be more rewarding than the twinkle in the eyes of a child in foster care or the nursing home patient who has no family or friends to visit them. The thank-you is in their eyes and in the warmth of their smile. Why it’s better than hot cocoa on a cold winters evening bringing warmth to your heart.
    You could not have said it more eloquently Corey…AMEN
    Kris

  7. Corey, I love your santons. One of the things I regret most that I didn’t do while in France was shopping for santons. The next time, I will be sure to do so.
    Your expressed your thoughts beautifully about the holiday also.

  8. The French santons are lovely in their state of imperfection. I have a lovely nativity scene (creche) that I purchased in the shadow of the Mayan temple at Tulum. The figures are indigenous looking faces of dark complexion and Mary has some rays radiating from her head, just wire and clay. One of them broke off when I was transporting it back to the states. It’s still precious to me.
    – Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife

  9. So beautiful, Corey. I love how the whole village is represented with the santons showing that He was born (and died) for ALL of(less-than-perfect)us. Thanks for sharing this lovely French Christmas tradition!

  10. Hi Julie
    Crooked pictures …imperfection? Matches the theme I u
    suppose 😉

  11. The message is simplicity itself and so eloquent. Thank you Corey and Merry Christmas.

  12. Tis a joy to be simple, tis a joy to be free
    This post is perfect joy.

  13. I always love your posts about Noël in Provence/France, your worn out santons, your stories…
    Since I was a tiny child, we’ve always had a crêche and a tree in our home at Christmas. I always took the two for granted.
    But, as I read your post today, I started to wonder about the 2 traditions and I researched a bit about “santons”… I found out something interesting- I’m afraid my comment will be long today… sorry for that!?!
    “The first French Christmas tree was put up in Strasbourg (Place Kléber), Alsace, in the early 17th century. Before that, French houses were decorated with branches only. The crêche was the prevailing symbol.
    The tradition of Christmas trees spread with the Reform (opposing Catholics and Protestants. The Protestant refused any representation of biblical figures (then including Jesus and Mary). So they rejected the crêche and its santons. They took the tree as a symbol – even if pagan, originally. During the religious war, the protestant tree stood against the catholic crêche. The tradition of the tree developed in France by the end of the 19th century. (in the 20th in Spain + Italy).
    Religious wars are over and each home has its tree+crêche.”
    I would add that the Pilgrim Fathers sailed to America because they were against all catholic rules… that’s probably why they imported the tree with them and left the crêche behind… Catholic emigrants would come later…
    I thought this article was very interesting and wanted to share it with you… You can delete it if you wish …

  14. PS
    Provençal “santoun” / or French “santon” means “little saint”.
    Any man-in-the-street is raised to a saint at Christmas…
    As you say, we are all worthy enough to stand among them…!
    I could spot you as a santon… with bags full of lace…
    I’d like to know in what santon your readers would see you…

  15. I am jealous of your creche ! They look so lovely

  16. I have the Santons that come out of the cakes. I’ll have to keep an eye out for these. I don’t suppose you have found one with a little guy in an airplane, right?

  17. hello! i adore your blog-i live in nor-cal and wanted you to know that you bring me daily joy-i love reading the older posts,too!you make me laugh and yes,cry(precious baby daisy) and make me a more grateful woman.thank you for that! diggin’that new hair! you have an undeniable-is it joie de vie? um,zest for life? i had better learn those words before i travel to europe next year! 😉 ann-marie

  18. “The best gift to give is ourselves with an open heart.”
    How true. And how difficult to do, sometimes. But I’ve always tried hard.

  19. Oh, how wonderful! And your words remind me that it isn’t good works or beauty that make God love us more, it is God that loves us as we are, imperfections, chips, and knives. The divine exists in all of us, we all can be at the manger. Thank you for reminding me this morning!!

  20. Such wonderful figures. Imagine: a bad guy! We have a creche made out of different woods that I got when L was a baby, so she could move them around without breaking them. It is still a wonderful treat to see them all come out.

  21. Our decorating always centers around the Nativity too. We’ve never had a Christmas tree but I’m pushing for one! I was planning to have one this year but decided to wait and spend the money for next year. I wanted to wrap it with lights and print on parchment several references from the Bible about Jesus being the ‘tree of life’ etc. we belong to a fellowship (at the moment) of believers who think you shouldn’t have a Christmas tree. We are in the middle of a huge revival and many are waking up to the fact that a lot of our ‘rules’ are NOT necessary! So, next year I do plan to have a Christmas tree, but we will still get the Nativity our first! I have a Fontanini set and I add to it as money allows. I too want the whole village eventually.
    I love your set. I have some old sets too but none of clay. the worn look just adds to their charm.
    Blessed Yuletide,
    Jill

  22. Lovely post! I wish there was a source for the fabulous santons here in the states.

  23. You’re killing me Corey. Just when I think I’ve given up…you renew some memory and I get kicked in the butt. A Spanish family will sacrifice precious square meters of their small (by American standards) living rooms to set up an elaborate “belen” (Bethlehem). Now I’m sorry I never collected more. Some will even put in a stream of running water through their villages.
    I am at my mom’s till Thursday but when I get back home, you’ve “forced” me to get beyond my grief and get my belen set up. What till you see it…

  24. I set my creche up yesterday. It is the first time I have had it out in many years, and I am loving its beauty. I love your santons. I would be attracted to the same ones you are.

  25. I just adore your santons. How difficult are they to find at brocantes and flea markets in France??? I would love to start a collection. I have searched for them in the states without success. Enjoy them Corey!!!

  26. My #3 sister brought Himself and me back our own santons when she lived in Provence for a year. Mine is a spinner/spinster, his is a shepherd. We have a very old creche that Kim and I bought when she was 4. I was recently divorced, living on nothing, and we bought it over a three week span. It is paper mache and well-loved, too. Our little lambs have had their legs glued and mended so many times that they look over fat. But we both remember those times and it is still our favorite Christmas thing to put out.

  27. Your santons are beautiful, Corey … I love the idea of ordinary, everyday people surround Jesus in the manger.
    xo,
    Lynda

  28. What a sweet message, Corey!! Thank you!

  29. lovely post as always and enjoyed the santons.
    yes…i agree with that. i try to give with an open heart daily. mind you i am dealing with virginians so it is seldom accepted nor appreciated…there is always a question regarding my generous heart.
    then again,perhaps my open heart is not that transparent?
    take care and god bless you during the season.

  30. I think the most powerful messages I have heard in church were those of few words–the one you relate here is no exception.
    Your santons are beautiful in their simplicity and ability to make all feel worthy. Treasures, all.

  31. Corey,
    Lovely post.

  32. I love love love this! Your words are my wish to every heart.
    Blessings to you and those precious to you~
    Cindy

  33. These are wonderful. Thank you for the wonderful pictures and thoughts this morning.
    I meant to write and tell you several days ago that I am still keeping my eye on Daisy. And I’ve become a fan of her daddy’s blog. He made a little joke the other day about a photo being a weak attempt to be like you, but he really is a a good read. Thank you for leading me there.
    Have a wonderful day.

  34. I also look for things with “personality”…love the pictures…now I MUST collect some santons like those! Think I can find some in California? 🙂

  35. Hi Corey,
    I love the brevity and truth of your priest’s homily!
    I’ve always wanted to know more about French Santons. What a lovely thought and reminder that we too can bring our gifts and talents to Jesus.
    Thanks so much dear, Corey!

  36. Great post Corey!!
    I always love learning about French ways.
    The santons are so beautiful.
    Makes me want to collect them too!
    Have a wonderful day!
    Rosemary

  37. i very much like the idea of the christmas creche including the entire village

  38. This is destined to become one of my very favorite posts! I LOVE nativity sets. I have 3 that I leave out all year along with a wise men statue and a JOY reminder. But I love these old santons the most – especially the fact that the whole village is involved. I don’t think I could bear to put them away. That is the best. And thank you for reminding me of the best gift.

  39. what a brilliant priest.

  40. …….and all God’s people say, “Amen”!
    Thanks Corey

  41. What lovely little figures. No wonder they are so cherished. And I love the idea of the whole village around the creche. Maybe that’s where the phrase “it takes a village” to raise a child comes from. (Sorry. 🙂 )

  42. Corey, what a beautiful post. Ever since I saw my first creche, I’ve loved the idea of the townspeople santons. Yours are so beautiful!

  43. your descriptions so often leave me wordless. i love that the village bad guy is included in the creche. my husband and i after 2 christmases together with a very small manger scene (likely a $5 one, a gift from my mom when i was in college) are looking for what i call a “real” manger scene. he said he never had a manger growing up, or with his first wife. that is so strange to me. my family always put the manger up first, on the mantle where it was the center of attention. there was no big deal about it, but i miss it. with so much focus on buying and even on the tree, as you say, i want the reminder of Christ. and yet, last night we went to 3 stores selling christmas decorations and only 1 had manger scenes. that struck me as being so very very odd. as if no one believed in Jesus anymore, only santa claus.

  44. Délicieuse Provence.
    Je suis également passionnée de santons et je vous offre, leur regard :
    http://pasperdus.canalblog.com/archives/2006/11/27/3280892.html
    Bonnes Fêtes.

  45. Corey,
    You post on these last year set me off on a mission to try and collect some of my own. I did find three sources for new ones but not one for the old ones with character. Do you know of a resource? I think the ones who have lived through the many seasons of life and survived to worship for yet another season in life would be my choice for collecting.

  46. I can spot FH as the mushroom picker among the village crowd !!!

  47. Oh my what a collection. I’ll have to show you some more of mine, though I only collect 19th century French santons…Yours is far more vast and divine.

  48. Did you know there was a santon “Soeur Emmanuelle”, made in Marseille?
    Don’t know if it will be allowed by her rightful claimants … (Abbé Pierre santons were not)
    http://www.arretsurimages.net/vite.php?id=2503

  49. how fabulous! this is just what i needed. the santon are wonderfully charming. i’m gobbling this up in anticipation of our christmas in provence. we’re boarding the plane for marseilles on the 18th. i can’t wait!
    kurt

  50. cory,
    another question. you mention the brocantes – are those the flea markets? are they like the farmers markets, once or twice a week?
    do you happen to know the brocante dates in menerbes?
    kurt

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