Christmas in France - What is a French Christmas Like?

Is Christmas in France and separate from Christmas anywhere else? Well I guess that depends where you come from. For me as an Englishman there are quite a few similarities and, of course, quite a few differences.

Similar things would be Santa Claus (Père Noël) all over the place, shops suddenly hiding all the beneficial things and filing their shelves with toys instead, streets lit up and decorated, that kind of thing. nothing else but they seem to make a bit more of an endeavor with the street-lighting - even the small villages make the endeavor in France, which is not often the case in the Uk.

Paris Travel Card

Differences with a French Christmas? Well it' still not quite so commercialized. Christmas doesn't start until December here, whereas in England now the build-up seems to begin in September!

There are practical differences too. The local bread shop (boulangerie) is often open on Christmas morning for example, and Boxing Day is not a holiday. Most French are back at work unless it's a weekend.

Christmas in France is still quite an foremost religious holiday and a big house event. The French are big on family. They are quite likely to have a turkey for the main meal, with chestnut stuffing, but they might equally have a goose or capon. The big difference with the main meal is that it will be on Christmas Eve - in the evening - and it doesn't start until after midnight mass! Although maybe less French go to midnight mass than they used to, the meal (le réveillon - it means the wake up!) goes on until the early hours of the morning.

Some parts of France still begin to celebrate on St Nicholas' day, which is the 6th December, but 12th night means nothing to them. For us it's when all the decorations have to come down (or else bad luck) but the French celebrate the coming of the Kings on 6th January (fête des rois) and the decorations seem to stay up for weeks and weeks after that. maybe they're just more festive than us!

Of procedure Christmas in France wouldn't be perfect without the Sapin De Noël - the Christmas tree - so we probably have more in tasteless than we do that separates us. In the New Year, Epiphany is quite a big celebration and most communities are invited by the major for a glass of something sparkling at the local town or settlement hall. There's also a cake with a small charm in it - much like the coin in a customary Christmas pudding - although the cake is usually circular, flat and made of puff pastry and frangipane - very sweet.

Christmas in France - What is a French Christmas Like?

Is Christmas in France and separate from Christmas anywhere else? Well I guess that depends where you come from. For me as an Englishman there are quite a few similarities and, of course, quite a few differences.

Similar things would be Santa Claus (Père Noël) all over the place, shops suddenly hiding all the beneficial things and filing their shelves with toys instead, streets lit up and decorated, that kind of thing. nothing else but they seem to make a bit more of an endeavor with the street-lighting - even the small villages make the endeavor in France, which is not often the case in the Uk.

Paris Travel Card

Differences with a French Christmas? Well it' still not quite so commercialized. Christmas doesn't start until December here, whereas in England now the build-up seems to begin in September!

There are practical differences too. The local bread shop (boulangerie) is often open on Christmas morning for example, and Boxing Day is not a holiday. Most French are back at work unless it's a weekend.

Christmas in France is still quite an foremost religious holiday and a big house event. The French are big on family. They are quite likely to have a turkey for the main meal, with chestnut stuffing, but they might equally have a goose or capon. The big difference with the main meal is that it will be on Christmas Eve - in the evening - and it doesn't start until after midnight mass! Although maybe less French go to midnight mass than they used to, the meal (le réveillon - it means the wake up!) goes on until the early hours of the morning.

Some parts of France still begin to celebrate on St Nicholas' day, which is the 6th December, but 12th night means nothing to them. For us it's when all the decorations have to come down (or else bad luck) but the French celebrate the coming of the Kings on 6th January (fête des rois) and the decorations seem to stay up for weeks and weeks after that. maybe they're just more festive than us!

Of procedure Christmas in France wouldn't be perfect without the Sapin De Noël - the Christmas tree - so we probably have more in tasteless than we do that separates us. In the New Year, Epiphany is quite a big celebration and most communities are invited by the major for a glass of something sparkling at the local town or settlement hall. There's also a cake with a small charm in it - much like the coin in a customary Christmas pudding - although the cake is usually circular, flat and made of puff pastry and frangipane - very sweet.

Christmas in France - What is a French Christmas Like?