In almost every home that celebrates Christmas, there are some common factors: a decorated tree, gifts at the base, perhaps a wreath on the door, a more or less figurine creeping of Santa Claus and a log for dessert. But every family adds their own Christmas customs! Several readers give us theirs, and an expert Christmas historian offers us her insights on the topic.
A meal that highlights the region of origin
When the time comes to talk about Christmas dinner, the classic menu awaits us: foie gras, poultry stuffed with chestnuts and chocolate log. However, many families move away from it to put their own region in the spotlight! Thereby, Sophie always eats a Burgundy fondue on the evening of December 24, while others enjoy Flemish stew, sauerkraut or lasagne..
Marine’s family chose to order couscous from a Moroccan restaurant each year to avoid the mental and logistical burden of menu preparation, shopping and cooking. Others transform the meal on the 24th into an aperitif, and that on the 25th into a Christmas brunch. And among followers of midnight mass, there is sometimes a meal before and one after.
“ Before the 1950s, the Christmas menu was standardized » says Nadine Cretin, festival historian. “ There were oysters, foie gras, stuffed poultry and from the late 19th century a log for dessert. The meal on the evening of the 24th was rather lean, because before the Christmas mass no meat or fat was eaten. But on the 25th the meal was very abundant, and promised abundance for the year to come. »
Even Christmas desserts must be abundant, the historian mentions in particular the thirteen Provençal desserts, panettone, English pudding, mince pies and even German Christstollen.
1001 ways to give out gifts
Apparently, nothing is simpler and more common than giving out Christmas presents. Yet every family has its own way of doing things! In Raphaëlle, gifts are distributed according to age, from youngest to oldest. While Aurélie’s family opens her matching pajamas, at Manon’s house the custom is to offer, in addition to traditional gifts, a small additional gift ” less than 5 or 10 euros, which is not food and which must be on a plate. The distribution occurs randomly. »
“ In our house the opening of gifts is ritualized using a different thing every year, once it was dice, another time shabadabada, or another time, whoever opened a present had to choose the next one. » says Lena. And from Laura, gifts are drawn at random then guests exchange gifts. “ It’s a nice moment, I think it takes away the restrictive aspect of Christmas shopping and gives a more joyful dimension to the party. We also play games to win or lose gifts. »
In other families, gifts are distributed drop by drop between each course, or we make one Secret Santa. And among Nadine Cretin’s in-laws, gifts are reserved for children!
A fun and musical party
Christmas is not just a celebration where we eat well and exchange gifts, many families plan family activities. “ Each guest must prepare something: a song, a game, a play, an activity for the others to do » explains Léna. At Angela’s the lottery is a must. And in still others, everyone will have to bring a board game or a song to sing together.
Christmas carols also seem to have a special importance in many families. In Sarah it is ” I saw three ships sailing » which is THE Christmas song sung every year. In others, everyone has to sing alone, each in turn, sometimes reluctantly!
Even the decoration can be different from one family to another, “even if we generally find the colors red and green” indicates the historian of the holidays. “At home I put greenery on top of the paintings, a bouquet of firs and hollies with a red bow,” she adds. ” A friend A German woman lights twelve real candles on her tree, with some red bows. The tree is installed on an old system that turns it and transmits music” Sweet night, holy night” “.
Why don’t we all have the same Christmas customs?
For more than a century we have shared common elements of Christmas.
“ The fir was introduced at the beginning of the 20th century, it was a widespread custom among the Alsatians who left Alsace after the war of 1870, they had the habit of putting greenery in the house at Christmas time, and a small tree on the table . Then, after the Second World War, Americans helped popularize the figure of Santa Claus. says Nadine Cretin. “ But aside from the tree and Santa’s personality, the rest can vary. »
«Among Catholic families we talk about Santa Claus, but about the nativity scene and the birthBaby Jesus remains more important than the tree and the gifts. The nativity scenes are sometimes very small at the foot of the tree, or on the contrary they occupy the entire upper part of a piece of furniture with piles of figurines. » gives the example. “ It also depends on where you live, I remember an acquaintance from Savoy who was very attached to snow for Christmas. She was disappointed when she came to live in Paris to miss this element of the holidays “.
Family traditions reflect each person’s religion, culture, personal beliefs and what we want to preserve from generation to generation. Certain customs come with marriage, when two families mix. There are also more modern habits that are taking over, such as wearing ugly Christmas sweaters, or the desire to create new customs with your children, adopting, for example, a little “Elf on the Shelf” during the month of December.
However, we must say goodbye to certain traditions that die out with the death of our ancestors. “ In Provence, on the evening of December 24th, we sometimes left an empty chair at the table, to welcome a ” poor person passing by “, or for a deceased family member to come and sit there. But this doesn’t happen so often anymore » says Nadine Cretin.
We have a standardized image of Christmas, yet we find uniqueness in every family. But in any case one thing doesn’t change.” we are very attached to our Christmas traditions » assures the historian.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
