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Presents: when do you open them?
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When do the French celebrate Christmas?
On the evening of the 24th. This is the part that surprises Americans most. In the United States, Christmas Eve is the run-up and Christmas morning is the event. In France it is the other way round: the 24th is the event, and the 25th is the recovery.
The dinner on the 24th is called le réveillon, from the verb réveiller, to wake. The idea is that you stay up. It traditionally followed midnight mass, and some families still go, though far fewer than a generation ago. What has survived everywhere is the late, long meal.
In Sacha’s family in Paris, it was exactly this: the réveillon on the 24th, oysters and foie gras on the table, a bûche at the end, and the presents opened that same night.
What happens at the réveillon?
People dress up, a little. There is an apéritif, usually with champagne. Then the table: seafood or foie gras to start, a roast bird, cheese, and the bûche. It is several courses and it is not rushed. The bûche has its own page, with a recipe: how to make a bûche de Noël.
Children are at the table for it, at least for the start. This is normal in France, where children eat what the adults eat and are expected to last a long dinner. On this one night they have a very good reason to behave.
Who brings the presents in France?
Le Père Noël, Father Christmas. He looks like the American Santa and does the same job, with a few differences. French children traditionally leave their shoes or slippers by the tree or the fireplace for him to fill, and there is no plate of milk and cookies. He manages without a snack.
When the presents are opened depends on the family. Some open them late on the 24th, after dinner, on the understanding that he came by while everyone was at the table. Others wait for the morning of the 25th. Both camps believe theirs is the tradition. In Sacha’s family it was the 24th, after dinner.
French children write to him, and he writes back. Since 1962, La Poste has run a Père Noël secretariat in Libourne, near Bordeaux, where volunteers answer more than a million letters a year, from children in France and abroad.
In the east and north of France there is an earlier visit too. Saint Nicolas comes on 6 December and brings sweets and gingerbread to children, a custom shared with Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
How do the French decorate for Christmas?
With a tree, some lights, and noticeably less than an American house. The tree, le sapin, usually goes up in early December. The tradition of a decorated Christmas tree is generally traced to Alsace, which still has the best-known Christmas markets in the country; Strasbourg’s has run since 1570. Paris has its own, smaller ones, and its lights: see Christmas in Paris.
Many homes also have a crèche, a nativity scene. In Provence it is populated with santons, small painted clay figures that include the whole village: the baker, the fishwife, the mayor.
What you will not usually see is the outside of the house lit from roof to lawn. Towns decorate their streets and shops decorate their windows, and the house itself stays calm. I have explained the general principle in why Americans decorate for every season, and Christmas is the largest example of it.
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Take the quizWhat is different about the 25th?
It is quiet. Shops are closed, as it is a public holiday. There is a family lunch, often built on what was left from the night before, and the afternoon belongs to the children and their presents.
The day after, the 26th, is an ordinary working day in most of France. Only Alsace and Moselle have it as a holiday, for historical reasons. So the French Christmas is short and concentrated: one very long evening, one slow day, and back to normal, until New Year’s Eve, when the whole dinner happens again with friends.
Do the French send Christmas cards?
Not really. The French custom is the New Year card, la carte de vœux, and the rule is that you have the whole of January to send it. Wishing someone a happy new year on 25 January is perfectly polite in France. I find this deeply relaxing.
Christmas, two countries
In our house in Massachusetts it is a mix: the French evening on the 24th, the American morning on the 25th.
| France | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Main celebration | Evening of the 24th | Morning of the 25th |
| The big meal | Late dinner, several courses | Midday or afternoon dinner |
| Left out for him | Shoes or slippers | Milk and cookies |
| Decorations | A tree, a crèche, some lights | The house, the lawn, the roof |
| Cards | In January, for the New Year | In December, for Christmas |
| The day after | A working day in most regions | Sales and returns |
Questions, answered
When do the French celebrate Christmas?
Mainly on the evening of 24 December, with a long family dinner called le réveillon. The 25th is a public holiday and a quieter day.
What is le réveillon?
The long, late dinner eaten on Christmas Eve, and again on New Year’s Eve. It traditionally followed midnight mass and often lasts past midnight.
Who is Père Noël?
Father Christmas, the French Santa Claus. Children traditionally leave their shoes by the tree or the fireplace for him to fill with presents.
When do French children open their presents?
It depends on the family: either late on the 24th after the réveillon, or on the morning of the 25th.
Is 26 December a holiday in France?
Only in Alsace and Moselle. In the rest of France it is an ordinary working day.
Do the French send Christmas cards?
Rarely. The French tradition is to send New Year cards, cartes de vœux, at any time during January.
Still wondering?
Ask my French husband.
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