Everyone's favourite meal of the year And in France, as with present-giving days, the big Christmas meal is often eaten on a different day, as well. The prevailing tradition in France is for everyone to sit down together and feast on the 24th December for a long, often luxurious meal called a réveillon.
Children do not hang stockings, but rather leave their shoes and slippers by the fireplace. If they have been good, Père Noël will leave treats in their shoes or slippers. Nowadays, he often also leaves piles of presents under the tree.
In many countries, families gather and give gifts on Christmas Day. But French people tend to exchange gifts on the night of Christmas Eve (le réveillon (de Noël)), rather than on Christmas Day (Noël/le jour de Noël), although kids do often get their presents from le Pere Noël on Christmas morning.
Shoes by the fireplace
Progressively, this tradition has evolved to place the shoes under the Christmas tree, which is where Le père Noël leaves the gifts. Hands-down the best part of Christmas for kids, this tradition lives on! Unlike most places that place stockings on the mantel, the French leave gifts in shoes.
The menus tend to vary dependent on the region in France, but in Paris seafood and oysters are common starters, with bread and butter, followed by caviar, foie gras and the traditional Christmas Yule Log, the Bûche de Noël. Christmas Carols Midnight mass is a religious tradition that many French families still uphold.
Christmas Dinner
Dishes might include roast turkey with chestnuts or roast goose, oysters, foie gras, lobster, venison and cheeses. For dessert, a chocolate sponge cake log called a bûche de Noël is normally eaten. Another celebration, in some parts of France, is that 13 different desserts are eaten!
The night of December 24th is called the Réveillon de Noël (or veille de Noël), and it is actually this night when the big celebration is held in France. The big Christmas dinner with family and friends is usually on Dec 24th, after which is the traditional opening of gifts.
The evening of December 24th is when French families sit down together to celebrate Christmas and enjoy festive French foods and wines. If you've heard about French people eating long and slowly, this dinner is the greatest example of this French custom. The meal can go for up to six hours.
French traditions at Christmas
Traditionally French children place their shoes in front of the fireplace hoping that Father Christmas or as he is called in France – Père Noël (or sometimes called Papa Noël) will fill them with gifts. Sweets, fruit, nuts and small toys are hung on the tree overnight.
In France, children leave out carrots and cookies in their shoes. The French make sure Santa Claus isn't hungry by leaving him treats — like biscuits — as well as carrots for the reindeer. They typically leave the goodies in their shoes and awake to find the food gone and presents in their place.
Although the Père Noël largely resembles this image, there are a few differences that make him French – and no, it's not because he walks around with a baguette and cigarette in hand, nor does he say “Oh là là” instead of “Ho ho ho”. Here are a few reasons why the French Santa Claus is different.
Père Noël takes the offerings and, if the child has been good, leaves presents in their place. Presents are traditionally small enough to fit in the shoes; candy, money or small toys.
French children leave their shoes out in front of the fireplace - la cheminée, or around the Christmas tree - le sapin de Noël. When they awake on Christmas Day, they hope to find that le Père Noël has visited and that the shoes (les souliers) are filled and surrounded by gifts - des cadeaux.
Le Père Noël: Santa Claus in French
In French, his name is le Père Noël (Father Christmas), but small children like to call him Papa noël.
Just like turkey is to Thanksgiving, a French Christmas main dish is almost always a large roasted “dinde” (turkey). A French Christmas turkey is traditionally made with a chestnut stuffing, and served with roasted potatoes, chestnuts and sometimes cooked apples around it.
However, for some, the celebrations begin on St Nicholas' Day on 6th December and do not finish until January 6th (the Kings' Day). Most people in France celebrate in some way from 24th-26th.
Christmas Tree · Le Sapin De Noël
Indeed, most French households have their French Christmas tree set up by about the 15th of December (and even the 1st) and street decorations are usually up from the first Sunday of Advent.
The French called a Christmas tree “un sapin de noël” or “un arbre de noël”.
Père Noël, much like Father Christmas or Santa, is generally seen in France as a kindly old man with a white beard, wearing red robes with white fur lining. Since the first references to this character, which appeared in the 19th century, he has become a central image of Christmas for French children.
In France, children leave out their shoes or socks in front of the fireplace, hoping Père Nöel will fill them to the brim with little presents, sweets, fruit, nuts and anything else that will fit in there. Children with small feet must feel shortchanged.
The 13 desserts tradition incorporate nougats (both white and dark), Pompe a l'huile which is a sweet olive oil bread, the traditional yule log (The), candied fruits, fresh fruits, and an assortment of nuts and dried fruits.
Oh, and by the way, we don't send Christmas cards! Horrified yet? ? What we do is send greeting cards for the new year, called les cartes de voeux. We send them to our relatives and friends, as we wish them Nos meilleurs voeux/souhaits pour une très Bonne Année.