Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

The Beginning of Christmas Sparkle

Christmas Music Box

 

The Christmas lights in our village float across the main street, along the facade of the church, and around the baker's window. The season of expectation is upon us. Or at least that is how I like to think of it. I remember the feeling I had as a child: Aching anticipation, an undeniable feeling in the air, longing, hoping that the biggest present under tree was for me. 

Christmas the songs, the stockings, the lights flickering at night, the smell of the pine tree, and my mom making popcorn balls.

Years ago at a brocante I found a Christmas music box. It was round, had some pine trees, deers, and a little boy in a green jacket. It enchanted me. Though it was more than I wanted to spend. I walked around and around, and yet constantly found myself in front of the stand that had the music box. I ended up buying it, I've never regretted it.

What is one of your treasured Christmas decorations?

 

Christmas Decor

 

 

And the Christmas songs. Nothing will ever sound as wonderful as hearing Christmas carols in English. And then my babies, Chelsea and Sacha started singing Christmas songs in French… Oh my.

 

Petit Papa Noel!  We went home (Willows is home, though I haven't lived there since I was 19 years old.) that year and I made them sing Petit Papa Noel a million times. 

 

Have you heard this take on the Drummer Boy? If you haven't you must.

 

Christmas flower bulb

 

 

One year while I was putting up our Christmas tree, Sacha who was seven or eight at the time, made a comment that our red and green decorated Christmas tree didn't really go with our house. He was right. Our home was more neutral light colors. I had always thought that Christmas had to be red and green, my childhood memory held it to be true. Though the next year and the years to follow Sacha's comment allowed me to decorate Christmas differently: Christmas wasn't restricted to red and green.

What color is your Christmas?

 

 

Passmenterie

 

Christmas is in the air. 

I feel it.

And soon I will be home.

 

Christmas Champagne Glass.

 

French Husband and Sacha will stay in France and celebrate Christmas with Yann's family. Chelsea and I will go to Willows. Half and half, egg nog, it is what it is, a Franco/American family.

 

Christmas pastel

 

 

My Mom and Holly are having an open house in my honor at their shop. If you can, I hope you will come! I would love to meet you!

 

"Gathering"

December 21st,

6 to 8 pm

211 W Sycamore Street
Willows, CA, 95988

Phone: 530-934-3664

Comments

22 responses to “The Beginning of Christmas Sparkle”

  1. g

    you have summed it up perfectly a francoamerican family-oh how I wish I could fly to ca to meet you…..enjoy the holiday time- remember Christmas is a season-spent in both your homes-another really beautiful post! treasured Christmas decoration-my mom’s stable- so typical of the time- nothing special but I stared at it for hours “played” with figures-my mom later said “I always wondered whose little fingers moved it all around.” I especially miss her around this time she was Christmas in our house-and like you this evening when I was out I could feel the season-anticipation…

    Reply
  2. Lil

    Since my family flies east on the 23rd and I’m usually racing around in the last couple of days prior, I know I won’t have time to make the trip from Fairfax to Willows although I would love to meet you and your mom and see her shop. Maybe next time!
    I’ve lived the east coast/west coast version of your francoamerican family. Not quite so far or so different a locale but I’ve still missed the little family occasions. Fortunately we go east twice a year, at Christmas and during the summer.
    Have a wonderful trip home!

    Reply
  3. Diogenes

    Growing up, we always had a white-flocked tree with the old-fashioned blue lights and silver balls.
    Today we have the “as many multi-colored lights possible” tree, which Danny puts up.
    I am sure you can guess which I prefer, but I am not in control of Christmas here.

    Reply
  4. Gail

    I love that you are sharing stories about the people that you love. Thank you. The real message of the season.

    Reply
  5. Sharon

    Corey, I love pinks and pale blue at Christmas time. I also have a traditional Christmas tree in reds and greens. Then, I have a neutral colored tree in another room. So I guess I like all colors and combinations for Christmas! To Corey’s readers…you have not met Corey, please find the time to do so. I met Corey a number of years ago at small gathering in CA. She is a delight. So give yourself a Christmas gift and meet her this Christmas season in Willows.

    Reply
  6. Marilyn

    How I would love to come to Willows to meet you, it won’t be this time.
    Some years I decorate tradition red and green and then other years I do more white, gold, and silver. I do like mixing it up.

    Reply
  7. Laurie SF

    Not only will I be there…but, bringing along several dates. My Mother, her neighbors, and some childhood friends.
    We’re all fans!!

    Reply
  8. Cara

    Corey, The colors I love and use for Christmas are those of the dark night sky with the beautiful stars? ultramarine blue, silver, gold, and of course the cheerful greens of spruce and fir with snow. There are many treasured ornaments, but always hidden in the boughs are the hospital bracelets from my three children’s births. A beloved and wonderful Christmas from our family to you and yours.

    Reply
  9. Marjorie Sue

    When my son, who is now 60 yrs. old, was just a young boy in the Boy Scouts he asked me to take him and his two friends up to the mountains in Colorado. They wanted to camp out and I needed to drive them. I gave them one condition, they had to feed me since I was doing the driving. We set up camp, they prepared dinner with one thing missing. A spoon for me to eat with! What a scramble. My son found a piece of wood and started carving. I did have something to eat with when he was finished. That spoon found it’s way to the Christmas tree that year and every year after that. When he had his own family and I wasn’t really putting up Christmas trees anymore, I took the spoon to him. When he opened it he cried and so did I! It’s been on his family Christmas trees ever since. I’m leaving to be with him and his wife this year. It will be the first Christmas their daughter will not be with them. She’s away at University working on her Master’s Degree. We will hang the spoon together this year.
    I’m sorry Corey, but I won’t be able to get to Willows to meet you. Bummer. I know you will have a grand time with your Mom and Chelsea. Happy Christmas!

    Reply
  10. 24/7 in France

    I love silver & gold as Christmas (rich)colors and textures. Joyeux Noel!

    Reply
  11. Patti Lloyd

    I have a white Christmas tree with burlap “garland” and white lights. The ornaments are vintage blue glass and 13 ornaments my husband and I have chosen together since we were married. This year we will choose number 14..we always try to find something reminiscent of the year past, such as a gold feather to signify the Feather River and the conservation work he has done there. I have Dec. 21 marked on my calendar with “Corey” so I may join with the others to welcome you home for the holidays!

    Reply
  12. Jeanne

    I am so glad you will be able to be home in America for Christmas it means the world to you and your family back in CA I am sure…………….I love reading your posts and seeing your photographs and I love that link of The Little Drummer Boy. Thank you so very much.

    Reply
  13. suzanna

    Wow, Corey coming stateside across the pond ~ I’d love to meet you and come to
    the “Gatering” but I live on the other coastline of the Gulf of Mexico, I know it will
    be simply lovely ~ I bet the phone lines, though will be burning up calling back to France, ha ha ha ~ you are blessed to have a family, I do not ~ I miss my parents ~
    my mom & I always decorated “a lot” & grabbed more for the next year after Christmas too to add for the following year, wow did we get some deals ~ Travel with Angels! XO

    Reply
  14. suzanna

    opps “Gathering” lol, love the name ~ travel with Angels ~

    Reply
  15. judyo

    Wish I could come meet you at your Mom’s shop. Another time. The colors in our house at Christmas are those of my childhood. Mostly cherry red and forest green with some angel white. This year my grandchildren helped decorate our tree with us.
    We had put on white lights. The 6 year old said, “Nana, I like the colored lights the best”. Off to the cellar to get the colored lights. Happy Christmas in Willows, Corey!

    Reply
  16. La Contessa

    Christmas colors………red and green!
    As for your party I will try but I doubt I will be able too………………..I WILL TRY!!!!
    XOXOX

    Reply
  17. Diogenes

    Corey, the Little Drummer Boy video is filmed in Los Angeles. This is where the group Pentatonix is based. I saw them this summer as the opening act for Diana Ross at the Hollywood Bowl. They were wonderful.
    In the video, I think they are filming in Griffith Park. You can see downtown Los Angeles in the background.

    Reply
  18. Jeannie

    I know it won’t be the same having Yann and Sacha in France. So hard to live in two places at the same time. The Little Drummer Boy is one of my favorite songs. My favorite ornament is handmade, bought at a bazaar in 1975. It is a itty bitty had crafted felt mouse asleep in a walnut shell half with a tiny quilt. I love that ornament. 🙂

    Reply
  19. Rhonda

    Well, good for you, Corey! Going home from Christmas is the best present EVER. Your family will be so happy!
    I only live one state away, I sure wish I could stop in and meet you. You would have to slap the smile off my face, though.
    My Christmas colors this year will be mostly silver and white. I hope I can pull it off!

    Reply
  20. Brother Mathew

    I think I might go downtown and see you at the Gathering.

    Reply
  21. Marie-Noëlle

    Of course I’ll be at your mum’s shop for the Gathering.
    If you cannot see me inside, you’ve got to have a look up the long and endless queue outside !!! Can I get a pass now to “shortcut” the queue???
    😉
    The Christmas colours for our tree is multicoloured.
    It has always been so. No rule, no style, no trend of any sort. And least of all red and green.
    This year I would love to make it special though … I’d love to decorate our tree “rainbow” (because of the late event in South Africa).
    Usually I choose one or 2 colours for our Christmas table. But this year we’ll be away.
    My treasured Christmas decoration is a music box too.A big one that I traditionnally put on the manthepiece: Father Christmas in his workshop. My 2 kids presented it to me when they were very young (8 and 6, or so).
    I do not know how they managed to sneak out of the car (while I was at the bank)to pop to the seed shop and to convince the seed merchant to sell them that Christmas music box decorating his own shopwindow !!??
    Well they HAD TO be very quick !!!
    On Christmas Day when I opened the present, I turned the music on…and it enchanted me. And I noticed an electric rope leading to nowhere. I asked. My son fell into tears. It took him quite a while to calm down. Then he explained to me that he wanted to be so quick to reach the car before I did that he fell over and dropped the music box. Some parts broke and they could not do anything to repair it.(Their father did not know anything about the present).
    I then imagined all their efforts to plan their shopping, their excitment and then their disappointment that I could not help crying together with him.
    So every year at Christmas, I turn the music on. Father Christmas keeps still instead of working at his rocking horse which has lost its head. But it is A VERY PRECIOUS DECORATION, you may imagine ! I LOVE it!

    Reply
  22. Brenda, Walker, LA

    I am so happy for you to be home for Christmas! With face to face on Iphone or skype you and Yann could have two Christmas’s!
    I rotate my Christmas themes…I have porcelain and glass Violets and Pansies with sage green and silvery accents that I sometimes put on a white tree in a bedroom…a few times in dining room. I also have a red theme with Victorian ornaments for more traditional. I also have a bear tree some years. Nothing but bears. Then some other years I have a variety of old ornaments. I love all my options, can’t part with them!

    Reply

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