I made this list based on the traditions my American family normally observes, and the traditions I took part in with my French family, although I tried to throw in some that "tout le monde" (aka, everyone else besides these families) probably observe as well. Obviously the traditions I am used to are not going to be the traditions that everyone else does, and same on the French side. The ones I took part or didn't take part in this year doesn't mean that it's the same for every family in France. Just throwing that out there.
So, I came up with a list. We will start with the differences first.
America = Green
France = Red
1. Stockings are hung over the chimney with care.
No stockings were hung at all. Granted, the family doesn't have a chimney, but I didn't see any stocking of any sort. Instead I was told that one would put slippers under the tree and Pere Noel puts little toys inside of there.
2. Traditional Christmas food item: For Americans it's Egg nog, n'est pas?
This is strictly Lyonnais (like Utahn or Idahoan) but everyone here, and I mean EVERYONE eats Papillots. They are wrapped chocolates of n'importe quoi (assorted chocolates). Nothing particularly special about them (except that they are yummy and addicitng) but since they were created here, everyone eats them. At parties, in homes, at school. Just my family went through six packages. If you think about it, that's a package and a a fifth per person. I count this as a difference because these chocolates don't exist anywhere else, therefore it's not a tradition in the States.
3. The biggest meal is Christmas Day, and it's HUGE. Typically, turkey, potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, greenbean casserole, what have you. Dessert is usually some kind of pie.You eat until you have to loosen your belt, and then you eat some more. The host spends all day in the kitchen making sure everything is perfect and there are a lot of helping hand if they are lucky.
Here, the biggest meal is Christmas Eve. And by biggest, they mean longest. It wasn't big at all. It was very small, but it dragged on and on and on. We started with an aperitif (appetizer of sorts): Wine (or fruit juice for the non-drinkers), peanuts (always there's peanuts), Foie Gras; pretty much geese puree...HUGE tradition here in France, I was offered it more than once. I tried to eat it as many times as I could but eventually I just had to start say no. And then there were snails. I ate two kinds of snails. Sea snails: They are raw, rubbery and have the taste of all the nasty smells of the ocean. And the I had Escargot. They were cooked in a lot of basil and garlic thank goodness, and I managed to eat three (the kids had 11 each!!) and they were ok, as long as I didn't think about what it actually was in my mouth, I was ok. But, I think I will skip out on the next round. THEN, we went to the dining room and ate.....a slice of steak and green beans. THEN, we had a salad THEN, followed by the famous French cheese. THEN, we had dessert which is another tradition, a buche or basically a cake that looks like a Swiss Roll. They come in all kind of flavors, but luckily for me, mine was chocolate. THEN, as if cake wasn't enough we had a cafe afterwards. The whole thing lasted just about four hours. ZZZZZ
4. Santa is a big thing. Christmas Eve the children are buzzing with excitement waiting for Santa to come. Me and my family we check NORAD often to see where he is in the world. Pretty much without a fuss, the children go to bed early, or if they have cool parents, set up a fort downstairs on the couch with full view of the chimney in hopes that they might catch a glimpse of Old Saint Nick.
Pere Noel exists. You talk about him, you hear about in in songs, there's a whole history, but when it comes to the night before it was almost as if he was all but forgotten. He isn't the one that brings huge or expensive toys or fills your stocking with a bunch of candy. I didn't feel the excitement, the pure infantile joy of the magic of Santa. While that is good in some ways, as not to distract from the true meaning of Christmas, it was kinda sad.
5. Presents are opened Christmas morning. The children sit on top of the stairs and wait until their sleepy parents get up and grab their cameras. Then they rush downstairs to see what present Santa has brought. Then one by one presents are passed out from under the tree and opened. Generally, we tend to receive a TON of presents.
Christmas presents are opened Christmas Eve after dinner. They are not under any tree, they are placed on a table (the grandparents didn't even have a tree where I was at). Everyone sits down and one person passes out all the presents to each person. Each person got about two or three presents. Almost as if there was a silent "GO" everyone opens their presents at once. I was too busy opening mine, I didn't get a chance to see what everyone else got.
6. In my family it is tradition for the first born son to read "T'was the Night Before Christmas." at 19, I probably have it memorized.
This wasn't read here. Maybe because it doesn't exist here or it's just a tradition not observed in my family or what but there it is.
7. Decorating the tree is a family matter. Every one is there, everyone participates. Each ornament has a special meaning as it has been collected over the years. Each kid receives a new ornament each year that describes their current interest or like. I know this isn't the same in every family: I've seen picture perfect trees in windows with matching ornaments and lights, and I've seen trees like mine with an Elmo ornament from when I was three, Champagne glasses with the year my parents were married written on it, and my dad's model train ornaments. But, I grew up with that being a huge tradition.
The mom decorated their three foot tree by herself. The ornaments were cute and probably homemade but didn't look very personal. I was actually pretty dissapointed that I missed out on that tradition because it's probably the one I look forward to the most. There isn't anything like pulling out my gingerbread choo-choo train and picking a place where I can always see it.
8. Christmas Eve is reserved for Jesus. As a religious family, we spend Christmas Eve reading the birth of Christ out of the bible and just being a family. It's reverent and full of the spirit.
Jesus wasn't mentioned once. And I know it's because my French family isn't religious at all so that would make sense, but I missed it.
9. Christmas PJ's. Every Christmas Eve we get to open our Christmas PJ's (As I type this, I am wearing my Nightmare Before Christmas PJ's from last year). My family likes to play Boolah Boolah with them and hide the PJ's somewhere in the living room and chant quietly and then loudly until the person finds them.
No PJ's.
Ok, I think that is long enough. I could go on but I'm afraid you guys will stop reading. This has already begun to be a long post. Sorry about that.
Alors, similarities:
- Christmas is about family. I spent it in a small village with the ones who are closest to the family. It was quiet and small and calm and not commercialized at all. Very down to Earth I think
- There was plenty of "Joyeusx Noel" and "Joyeuse Fetes" to go around
- All the children has a Christmas recital of some sort. I went to a choir recital of Lucile's in which they sang Christmas songs and it was adorable
- The malls are crowed as heck during the holiday season
- Starbucks has their holiday drinks
- Santa/Pere Noel
- Work parties
- Christmas decorations. I saw a lot of lights on apartments and houses
- Travelling to family members houses or more commonly to the grandparents house
- Nativity scenes
- Catholic Mass
That's all I can think of...Again this is just what I have observed. Mais en effet, these are just thing's that I have observed. It's not going to be the same if you were to talk to the other person to write a blog about this.
Kind of cool to read about though, non?
Et toi? What are some of your traditions?
Well I think starting next year I'm going to make a point of being with my sweetheart, who I love so dearly, every day of the holiday season :)
ReplyDelete