French Christmas Traditions shine bright across the Channel

 

With December becoming ever more commercially excessive, it’s good to know that just over the Channel in Northern France, the core Christmas message is still one of goodwill, with locals fiercely proud of the same french christmas traditions they have been observing for generations. Better still, in Northern France, it’s more than just a coming together of friends and family: At this special time of year, when the nights are cold and long, the locals love nothing more than to warmly welcome visitors into the festive fold too.

 

The French are renowned for expressing themselves through food and nowhere is this passion more evident than at its atmospheric Christmas markets. Forgo your usual supermarket sweep and instead renew your sense of curiosity at the market joining the locals who are here to buy seasonal delicacies for the Christmas Eve meal known as Réveillon. With a firm focus on quality-not-quantity, luxury goods grace the table from turkey and oysters to foie gras and pungent cheese, all with a glass of champagne from the vineyards of Northern France of course! Sweet follows savoury in the form of a bûche [log] ─ either homemade or bought from the local pâtisserie where it’s lovingly wrapped ─ French-style ─ like a gift. 

 

The world’s kids look on in envy as French children don’t have to wait quite so long to get their hands on their Christmas goodies. St Nicolas hands out treats and sweets at Northern France Christmas markets (often imaginatively you might say - he abseils in Arras!), with children looking forward to opening the rest of their presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. And here’s an interesting fact about Christmas in France: French children don’t leave out their stockings for Père Noël [Father Christmas], but their shoes!

 

Have you ever noticed how the French have the knack of making everything look effortlessly chic and sophisticated? Well, the easiest and most enjoyable way to get a piece of the French-touch is to join the natives taking their time shopping around for it at Christmas markets in Northern France. Not only do the snow-capped stalls spill over with Made-in-France artisan clothes, accessories, decorations, toys and treats, you’ll also see some of the most captivating shop-window displays you’ve ever seen. Just ask a friendly local what the town’s most prestigious exports are and ask to be pointed in the right direction. From Bleu d’Arras porcelain, to Calais lace, Amiens’ distinctive macaroons or ‘so-French’ santons [clay figurines depicting Christmas in France], giving just the right gift to friends and family (and maybe sneaking in a little je-ne-sais-quoi in for yourself?) means so much more than giving the same-old-same-old.  

 

 

Each Christmas market has its own unique character ─ from the small and intimate to the grandiose and metropolitan ─ yet at each you can expect dazzling light, glowing French architecture, seasonal song and cosily romantic restaurants nearby, if you haven’t already given in to the temptation of wafts of waffles, crepes, chestnuts and mulled wine, that is. Stop for a moment of nostalgia to take it all in: Despite the pace of change in your lifetime, it’s good to know that here in Northern France, a Christmas of twinkly simple pleasures still unfolds, just like Christmases past. 

 

Streetscapes of festive light are impressive but the light of day in Northern France can be even more illuminating. Over an indulgent French B&B breakfast (croissants, pains au chocolat, strong coffee, local produce…), chatting to genial hosts is the best way to find out what there is to see and do. They’ll mention the linchpins of regional pride (the Louvre in Lens, the Somme Bay, the WW1 remembrance trail, the champagne vineyards, the Deux-Caps cliffs…) but you’ll also be given a headful of locals’ tips on the close-at-hand popular spots.