Christmas in January

One of the things I most appreciate about my time in France (and here I am skipping over: the mild winters, the cheese- Oh the cheese!- the bread including the fresh croissants and the pain au chocolat with the delicious tube of dark chocolate held together in flaky pastry) is the fact that I am attached to a real live French family.  Not just Francois, my son in law (beau fils in French, doesn’t that have a lovely sound to it??) but his family who welcomed me as readily as they welcomed Emily 5 years ago.  And even tho, apart from Francois, they don’t speak much if any English they try to bridge the gap however they can and definitely patiently help me grasp their language.  

There was no chance for the family (14 adults including siblings, aunt, uncle and cousins and the 6 grandchildren) to get together at Christmas so yesterday was set aside to celebrate.   We gathered before lunch at the Winery which they had closed for the day.  The center of the wine storage room was cleared, a long table and chairs set up, ad hoc decorations dotted around the room, a Christmas tree in place with a stack of gifts underneath and an assortment of cold foods in place.  Now bear in mind to be invited for a social lunch in France means you will likely be there for hours and hours as a leisurely meal will unfold and yesterday was no exception.  We began nibbling and drinking champagne sometime after 1, probably around 2 or 2:30 we sat down after filling our own self serve plates, and we stayed there for hours and hours.  And hours.  A series of wines, most of which were not from the Winery but wines that various family members had found and brought to the event,  accompanied the food.  This is a family who love and know wines so they take great pleasure in trying wines from other regions of France.   There was plenty of water, still and sparkling, to cleanse ones palate and to provide an option to alcohol.   After lunch, so now about what we would think of as suppertime, cards and board games came out.  Later in the evening the lunch leftovers were re-presented; so simple and unfussy a way to entertain.  And I got home from my lunch at 11pm.  🙂

Today was “the return” as we all gathered again at the Winery for lunch.  A shorter version of yesterday without the gifts but with the champagne, bread and salads to start, green beans, a baked cheese (!) and zucchini egg dish, rice…..  an amazing cheese course (again, the cheese!) and then fancy cake desserts from a patisserie.  A round of cards, a clean up, goodbyes (kisses all round) and I was home by 5.  

I am grateful for all of this; not only the inclusion but to experience life as the French live it, rather than experiencing it in an ex pat world.  I am aware that I have just sort of touched on the food but trust me, over time I will give you better descriptions of the meals I enjoy here.  

And now I sit, the fire in, contemplating dinner at almost 7pm, enjoying writing this and just chilling in the quiet.  Do I even bother with dinner?  One thing I know is it can’t include cheese.  Or bread.  Or chocolate.  🙂

xo

13 thoughts on “Christmas in January”

  1. Sounds absolutely glorious and heavenly. What a gift to have this extension of family. No matter what language we speak it is a sure thing we all like to share in community.
    When I first glanced at your website I thought it said milesavemichelle, maybe even a little truth in that😘.
    You’re amazing Michelle. Thank you for sharing.

    1. It is funny Maggie, when working with the US tech team everyone of them called my website- Miles Save Michelle. And I thought- Oh no! Should I set up a different name?? But I have left it and although I hadn’t thought of it until your comment I think there is some truth to the Miles Save Michelle. Different types of miles, not just the kind that carry me distances but also the kind of progress and advancement that help me continue to learn and grow. Appreciate the insights Maggie!

  2. Jennifer Crawford

    Love this, so happy you all got to have the get together but a little sad I missed it. After being there I can visualize things and I love that part of sharing in your adventures!
    Keep on living and sharing!!!

  3. Oh how I’d love to be part of that. Thank you for giving us a taste of what it’s like with your beautiful words.

    1. It’s sort of similar to when you sit around having dinner and then stay at the dinner table after, maybe lingering over conversation, cards etc. But in this case the food consumption is also drawn out over hours and hours and hours. Small, reasonable sized portions slowly consumed. The big thing for me to adjust to is not arriving hungry on on the verge of hungry because the start time could be very much past arrival time. 🙂

  4. That sounds wonderful Michelle. The French definitely spend a lot more time at the dinner table than we do.

    1. Beyond Joan. Most businesses closer here for two hours at lunch. There seems to be very little dine and dash which I guess explains why there aren’t a ton of fast food restaurants everywhere. Even the burger place we went to last week for lunch had comfy couches and benches in it, encouraging a leisurely meal consumption. (I had a falafel burger btw and it was delicious. And mayo with fries has hands down become my favorite over ketchup.)

  5. Love this and sounds so enjoyable. Such a laid back style (I know not all of the time). To experience a 10 hour lunch…… here we’d all be watching the time. I know you enjoy these moments to the fullest ❤️

    1. It really is about slowing everything down Donna which yes, can be an adjustment for a North American because you don’t always feel like hanging about. Even in retirement sometimes there are lots of things I want to so….. But definitely the pros outweigh the cons…..

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