1st Christmas Eve in France

For my first Christmas in France we spent Christmas Eve with James' family and a quiet Christmas Day at home (more on that later). We left the house on Christmas Eve around 6pm, after I had spent 3 hours of the afternoon making more bon-bons and treats to bring to the celebration because the ones made over the last few weeks had been consumed more quickly than they had been made.

We arrived at his father's house and spent about an hour talking (and eating bon-bons, which were a huge hit and requested again next year) before everyone left and went to the Christmas church service. The church was pretty busy and the service was a bit boring according to my standards. I am used to LOTS of music at the Christmas service along with candles. This service did include music so maybe it was more of the fact that I understood very little of the service and attempted to sing the few songs I knew in English while everyone else sang them in French.

The church after the service

After church all of us went back to the house. I entered the house and was quickly ushered to the basement. I thought that they were trying to pull a prank on me but was assured that it was part of the tradition. It was quickly explained to me that everyone has to go to the basement and line up in order of age. Once this has been accomplished the door is opened and everyone rushes upstairs to find their gifts and open them as quickly as possible. This was quite a sight to see as there were at least 50 people there including all of the children.

James and Emma showing off their new jackets

Elly and James after opening gifts

After the gifts were opened the children sat down and started to eat. The meal was made by one of James' brothers and consisted of sticky rice and other Asian cuisine.

Some of the kids enjoying dinner

Once the children were done eating they all scattered to play with the new toys and gifts they received. The adults then sat down for dinner (at about 10:15pm). I had been informed ahead of time what common Christmas food was, most of which was included in the meal. We started off with smoked salmon and foie gras (duck liver). I have had the salmon before and enjoyed it (even if it is raw, smoked and eaten cold). The foie gras was a new experience for me. Like some of the other food I have tried here, I am not so sure what is so great about it. Maybe it is something that is special since it is eaten on rare occasions.

One of the salmon platters

Some of the foie gras getting ready to be sliced

Once the salmon and foie gras course was almost complete, James and a few of the other guys went outside to open oysters. They then brought in platters of raw oysters. As much as I am trying to embrace my new culture and be brave, I couldn't bring myself to try them.

A platter of raw oysters

They also brought out trays of roast beef, chicken and duck (all of which were cooked and sliced but served cold, sort of like we would for sandwiches). At this point I had consumed enough salmon and bread that I wasn't even hungry enough to eat any of this. I did however have room for cheese and there was a large cheese table with many options.

The cheese table

Of course there were many bottles of wine that accompanied the meal and I continue to enjoy this aspect of the French culture. It was quite comical that they were using a power tool to open the bottles (bosch power drill with a cork opener attachment).

Mylene showing me her "James Bond" wine bottle opener

June opening one of the many bottles with supervision from his brother, sister and Dad

A few of the choices

Overall it was a nice meal but a bit strange for me to have everything eaten cold and for it to be primarily a protein based meal without side dishes. The desserts were Les Buches de Noel (which translates to " The Yule logs" and is kind of like a pumpkin roll but were chocolate or strawberry). 

 

Les Buches de Noel

 
Dinner wasn't completed until about 12:30-1am. Since being in France I have adjusted to the later dinner time (typically 8pm) but this evening was an experience for me. After dinner people continued to hangout and talk while watching the kids play with their new toys. As I mentioned the other day, it is tradition that everyone stays up late and spends the night which is quite a feat as James is 1 of 12 children (and I think all but 2 were present for Christmas).  I made it until about 3am and was one of the first ones to go to bed.

Here is a picture of us after dinner and with Maelle wearing her new pajamas.

And what Christmas would be complete without starting Christmas morning off eating chocolate. 

One of James' nephews with his mouth full of chocolate

So that is what my first Christmas Eve in France was like. It was a new experience and I had a good time even if it was very different from what I am used to.  I will share some pictures of our Christmas day together in the next post.