Our Christmas Holiday in France - Merry Christmas - Joyeux Noel 2013

Notre Sapin - Our Christmas Tree

Creating new Christmas traditions....

Our holiday is a mixture of French traditions and American.  It's been fun over the years finding a balance between our 2 cultures.  When we lived in the States, we usually spent the holiday or part of it with my parents - which included a quiet evening, church and special goodies on Christmas eve, and then Christmas day was opening gifts, and then a mid-afternoon Christmas dinner.  As the years went on and we had our kids, we began choosing to stay at our house (4 hours from my parents) and creating our own celebrations.  We would catch up with my parents right after Christmas day or for New Years.

Since moving to France, we have continued to create our own way of celebrating Christmas as a bi-cultural family. Christmas Eve is the big celebration here in France. My husband comes from a small family - just his sister, him and his parents.  We have hosted the family Christmas eve celebrations at our home as it's easier since we have the children.  For the past few years, his family has arrived in the late afternoon and we have prepared the Christmas eve feast together. It's become a great time for me to learn more about French traditions.

My older two relaxing before dinner

We all get dressed up and enjoy an evening together of feasting on all the French delicacies of the holidays.  For the past 2 years, my mother has been able to join us from the States.  It's been great fun to have both my husband's parents and my mother join us in our holiday festivities.  (My only wish here is that my father was still alive to enjoy our new French traditions - he unfortunately passed away the January before we moved to France in 2011 - He is often in our thoughts and I know is looking down on us and sharing in our blessed time!)

3 Generations - My mother, myself and my three girls

Love their smiles!

This year, like others, our evening began in our living room - sharing appetizers of smoked salmon and les oeufs de Lompe (Fish eggs) served on small toast.  The smoked salmon is served with a goat cheese, shallot and dill mixture and capers (This is our American twist) and the Lompe is served over creme fraiche (similar to sour cream) spread on small toast.  We enjoy these with a traditional French aperitif of Lillet and Whiskey for the adults and grenadine & Limonade (similar to Sprite) for the kids.

Time for Apperitif - Delicious

We then moved to the dinner table and enjoyed several courses of French specialities.  We began with fois gras (made by my father-in-law). A side note, he makes the BEST fois gras I have ever tasted and I'm not just saying this because I'm a family member.  He buys fresh ingredients from a farm in the Dordogne near where he lived and spends over 12 hours preparing his speciality.  He makes both pure fois gras and fois gras mixed with other parts of the duck.  We like the mixture, so that is what he brings and gives us.  Over the years, we have had lots of compliments on his fois gras pate and I feel so privileged to get to enjoy it as much as we do.

Enjoying Pepe's pate

Delicious Foie Gras - homemade

We then enjoyed Fresh Oysters served on the half shell with lemon.  Again, a French tradition here  - they are so delicious and fresh here - it's hard not to like them!  My girls have even come to enjoy them - I watch each year as one by one, they decide they are wonderful.

Love these!

I love sitting at the table as a family and just enjoying such great food and each other's company.  This part of our holiday celebration is mainly French.  Growing up in the States - our Christmas Eve tradition as an American was still a nice dinner, but often quicker in nature, as we would then be heading off to church for a 7pm or 9pm service. We would return home to open one gift and enjoy some eggnog. Here in Bordeaux, we still take the kids to church, but it's more often the Advent Sundays prior to Christmas, just so we can fit in our other traditions.  Eggnog is also not found in France, so we've had to adjust our celebrations.

At the dinner table

This year we served a beef roast with oven roasted vegetables and potatoes cooked in duck fat, garlic and parsley.(This style of potatoes is a traditional recipe from the Dordogne region - often referred to as Sarladais -referring to the town of Sarlat)  Other years we have varied the main meat but for the most part it seems up to each French family if they choose lamb, beef, or chicken.

Le Roti du boeuf - Beef roast

Les Legumes au four - Oven rosted vegetables

Les pomme de terre Sarladais - Sarlat-style fried potatoes

Of course, wine is served with each course.  We enjoyed a delicious white Monbazillac  with the fois gras and then moved to a super red from Pessac-Leognan (Chateau Haut Bacalan). I love having the wine expertise of my father-in-law who tells us which wine is best with each course.   

Le Vin - Wine!

Our meal ended with a traditional cheese course and then a Buche de Noel for dessert.  My husband chose a delicious tropical fruit flavored one from our local patisserie.  It was a perfect way to end a delicious meal - very light and refreshing.

Le Buche de Noel - Christmas Log

My three sweethearts

After the meal, we all relaxed and talked for a bit more, before the girls head off to bed.  After the other adults retired to bed - Santa Claus or  le Pere Noel (French Santa Claus) performed his magic and gifts for everyone found their way around the tree.

The next morning came early but luckily a pretty reasonable 7 am and the girls then arouse the rest of the house to come see what was under the tree.  

My middle daughter with her giant stuffed bear - given to her from her sisters

Waking up on Christmas morning

Stocking stuffers

Our American family tradition is that the girls get to open their stockings before a quick breakfast.  Once they pulled all the little things out, we all enjoyed some pineapple, juice, coffee and pastries.  I say quick as everyone wanted to open their treasures under the tree.

The morning of gift opening is a bit chaotic with 6 adults and 3 children - but it's always fun.  We try to keep some order to things, asking the girls to do "rounds' of opening - sharing and looking to see what each of us have received.  I find it hard to keep the balance of excitement of kids ripping into each of their gifts and at the same time teaching them to enjoy and absorb each present.

My oldest on Christmas morning

After the chaos of the morning ends, the kids played happily with new gifts and the adults headed off to get dressed and begin the day.

Classic games always make great gifts!

This is where more of the American tradition enters our celebration. I grew up with our holiday meal happening on Christmas day - a late afternoon nice dinner.  In the States, my mother often made a ham for the meal, but we have also enjoyed lamb and beef and friend's homes.  Here in France, we chose to make a large chicken roast - fresh from the farm.  So - I'm usually found back in the kitchen prepping the next meal.

Our table ready for another holiday meal

Le Chapon - The Rooster

The kids also got to enjoy their own "Champagne" - some sparking grape juice to toast the holiday.

Le Champomy - Sparkling Grape Juice

For Christmas day, we enjoyed a Charlotte of chestnut paste, made by my mother in law.  It was a delicious and great way to end another nice meal.

Charlotte des marrons - Candied Chestnut Charlotte

Sometimes, I think it's hard to truly separate what traditions are French and what are American.  Definitely certain foods - like fois gras, Oysters and les Oeufs du Lompe are very French - but smoked salmon, and a nice roast could be either. I also make Christmas cookies to enjoy over the vacation - it's been lots of fun having the girls help more each year as we make our favorite sugar, gingerbread & meringue cookies. As we blend both of our traditions together, we have created our own.  Family has always played a part of our holidays but so have good friends in past years.  As we are a bi-cultural family, we have settled on 2 meals over the 2 days to honor both cultures.  It's a bit of work, but it's what makes us a family and has just become our tradition. 

The stunning end to Christmas day

On Christmas day we were blessed with a beautiful double rainbow.  I believe it's a sign of good things to come - so we look forward to 2014. I hope everyone is enjoying their family time and celebrations.  My wish for everyone is that this year is full of peace, joy and love. 

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