Sitting here in South West France, I’m thinking about how different Christmas is to back in the UK.

In the UK, we traditionally eat roast turkey, with brussel sprouts (yuk!), cranberry sauce, bread sauce, stuffing and roast potatoes.  We have Christmas pudding for pudding, which we light up at the dining table – a Health and Safety hazard any other day of the year!

There are Christmas crackers at the table too, which are fun!

Mince pies are eaten any time from November through to the end of January – yum!

Carol singers might come to your door singing traditional Christmas carols in return for a donation to their chosen charity, or simply for them.  It’s a wonderful tradition – my youngest son did it a while ago for Guide Dogs for the blind.

Here in France there are wonderful lights everywhere and wreaths on the doors are the same as in the UK (that’s reminded me to make mine this week!)  The French shops are beautifully decorated – the UK shops could learn a thing or 2!

The French have a Christmas tree the same as in the UK and the children also have an advent calendar.  There are Christmas markets galore in France, whereas in the UK they appear limited to larger towns and cities – this makes weekend planning tough – which is the best one to visit??

There are nativity scenes everywhere in France, but what is unique is the inclusion of santons, or ‘little saints’.  These small figures represent not only biblical characters but also everyday villagers and tradespeople such as bakers, farmers and fishermen – a lovely tradition.

Instead of crackers, les papillottes decorate the table – chocolates wrapped in festive paper with notes inside, generally jokes or riddles.

In France the main family meal is generally eaten Christmas Eve, and they finish with La Buche de Noel (yule log).

Mistletoe is hung in both countries – in France it is hung for good luck – in the UK we kiss underneath it for good luck!

If you want to learn a little more about Christmas in the UK or in France, lets have a chat about it, in either English or French.