Christmas is almost here and am I ready, sadly not yet, there are 101 things to do before the big day, we have dear friends coming on the day to help us celebrate the season and John's birthday of course, There are beds to be made ready in case anyone wants or needs to stay over, Presents to be wrapped andthe house must be cleaned and all the last minute tinsel and glitter added to every nook and cranny, There are the beef bones to roast and boil to make the most delicious gravy, the red cabbage to be boiled down with lots of nice flavours for an accompaniment to the wonderful joint of meat we will be having on Christmas day, not to mention the mince pies and sausage rolls to make plus the last minute shopping to do, oh my will I ever get it all done 😇 yet somehow it does all get done, it is only one day after all.
Christmas for the French of course as I understand it happens on 24th December, in theory the whole family gets together on the evening for a grand feast which is normally fish / seafood and you will see them at the very last minute on Christmas eve in their droves in the supermarkets collecting their pre-ordered Oysters,lobsters, prawns etc; all to be washed down with oodles of champagne of course, this feast will start at approximately 9pm and somewhere thereafter the children will be allowed to open their gifts ( this I think is a far better way to do it feed the kids until they are fit to burst get them very tired, let them open their gifts and then they are ready and willing to go to bed) result ☺
The grown ups of course can party for as long as they want to in fact I have known them to still be eating at 5am, at midnight they go to midnight mass or if you are in our village they have stopped it and now go at 8pm, no wonder they sleep most of 25th.
We are just off to give gifts to our local Pharmacy and the receptionists at the Doctors surgery as they are so good to us and help out a great deal.
so a very Merry Christmas to you all and a very prosperous and Happy 2017
