#SFATW : Christmas in my hometown

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening friends, how are you ? Today’s another day for my special feature, Souvenirs From Across The World. Since it’s kind of the season, this month’s theme is going to be all about celebrations! I chose to focus on Christmas, but feel free to focus on all, or any special celebration you do in your own countries, I’d love to learn about it all!

If you’re new to this feature, Souvenirs From Across The World is a feature where you can talk about your country / city and get to know other bloggers’ more. You can write your own blog post about celebrations in your country for a month, from now until the 8th of January. Come back when it’s done and leave me a link in comments so I can add you to this list!
➡️ More about the feature.

Christmas is kind of a big deal where I live, because it’s that time when people just come out of their caves or something, suddenly streets are packed, tourists taking over the little streets of my hometown, and everything is just CROWDED and crazy.

In France, and I guess there are as well in other countries (? I never travel around Christmas time, so I do not know all the traditions about this. PLEASE enlighten me?), Christmas Market florish around the end of November until the last week of December for the most popular ones. They take over streets, cities, with their little wooden houses, they sell cute little Christmassy items, TONS of food and also lots of traditional stuff, depending on the region where it’s set. I’m probably being a bit biased here – but not so much. I’ve been told more than once and I think there are serious people saying my hometown has one of the best Christmas Market out there, and my region is one of the best places to come to around that time of the year. So, yes, it’s pretty nice. But before packing and heading there, book your hotel room at least 4 months in advance (not kidding. it’s so small, but so crowded). Also, be warned, you’ll walk in a sea of people, and it smells of bretzels and choucroute, A LOT.

Despite this, Christmas is a wonderful time around here.

A walk around the city & Christmas market 🏘

Beware: apparently, we have a thing for teddy bears in windows frames. No idea why, but they’re kind of cute so that’s okay, I guess.

 

Couldn’t do this little picture-trip without showing you the typical houses here on this little French region.

 

There are SO many lights all around the cities around Christmas-time, it’s beautiful to watch even if at times it also seems kind of a waste? I guess it’s still very beautiful. A little pictures tour of lights around the city of Strasbourg, France, curtesy of my lovely sister who’s lucky to live there.

 

 

Stars and lights all around, kind of magical isn’t it ?

 

These lights below are my personal favorites, light raindrops of lights falling. It’s so pretty.

And to end this, THE attraction of the city: the massive tree just standing in one of the biggest squares of the city. It’s I – don’t – remember how many meters high, but let me assure you, it’s big. And there’s kind of a ceremony when it’s being lighted for the first time. We are cute with our big trees, aren’t we.

 

A little bonus here, and what I find to be a perfect transition for what’s coming next… Little cups we get whenever we take something to drink on a Christmas market. (for the translation, it’s, Strasbourg, Christmas Capital)

 

 

 

A Christmassy French Food Guide 🍴

We French people are very, very fond of food. I think that’s one of the reasons why people love it here, THE FOOD. And not going to lie here, it’s one of the thing I miss the most when I’m away travelling.

Around Christmas, we have some particular traditions and some food we’d rather eat than other. It’s kind of a tradition, and it’s here in my hometown, always the case.

First, there’s the Bredeles case. I already talked about these little sort of cookies in another blog post, but in case you missed it, check out the recipe! They are delicious and I actually made a batch just today.

But what is it?! They’re sort of cookies made with butter, flour, eggs and you can put some almonds, nuts, basically anything you want. Also, they’re delicious.

Another thing you can find very often around Christmas, and if you ever walk around in Christmas markets here, it’s, vin chaud. Read: hot wine. Yes. We do love wine a lot around here. I don’t like it, but…seems like I’m the only one. Rest assured: you can also get some hot juices like blueberry juice and that is actually delicious.

As for the actual day… Lots of people celebrate Christmas Eve on the 24th, and on the 25th of December. The food fest is obviously

Foie gras, picture from pinterest.

gargantuous, with tons of meals, dessert, and you basically eat until your stomach can’t take it anymore, while catching up with your family, hearing all of the latest gossips and drinking three different kind of wines along the meal. Here in my hometown we do Crémant d’Alsace -a sort

Noix de Saint-Jacques, picture from pinterest.

of sparkling alcohol of sorts-, Wine, Wine, more wine, oh, and maybe a little more wine ? We’re definitely not alcoholics, everything in moderation, OBVIOUSLY. As for the food… Well, can I i

Salmon toasts, picture from pinterest

nterest you in some foie gras ? Salmon ? Noix de Saint Jacques ? Or can we just skip to my personal favorite, the BUCHE DE NOËL ?

Random things you might or might not want to know about Christmas in France

🎄 I’m guessing this is like this in most cities in the world where we celebrate Christmas: this is a highly commercial celebration after all. In France, shops open on the three Sundays before Christmas to let us drown into the mass, sorry, find our gifts and so. Yes, otherwise shops are never open on Sundays in France. We are weird.

🎄 The 25th is a bank holiday in France, and nowhere in France but where I live, the 26th is just as well. English people got Boxing Day, we got one more free day before having to go back to work. Yay!

Celebrations in your countries #onyourblogs! 🎊

Write your own blog post on celebrations in your country and come back to share it with me!
Dailey Downing’s celebrations
Tyra Ann’s celebrations in Canada
Emma Kath’s celebrations in Canada
(your links here)

Do you celebrate Christmas? If you do, do you like this day, why, or why not?  What kind of food do you eat? What’s your favorite part of Christmas ?

If you don’t celebrate this day, what kind of celebrations do you have in your country ? Any special day you love? Let me know in comments! 💬