At least there's that to distract us from the endless, gloomy, sunless days, and long, dark nights that seem to last until May. The cold is damp, and chills you to the bone, and the only snow you'll see is of the plastic variety in those store windows.
And at least there's Santa Clause who, unlike the Great Pumpkin, is more than just a passing American fad. Halloween, as you may have heard, fell out of fashion this year just as suddenly as it appeared about a year before the new millennium. This is not entirely surprising; last year seemed an overkill, as traditional French pastries competed for space in bakery display windows packed with spiders, fake cobwebs and garish orange and black crèpe paper.
In the U.S., Christmas decorations are up before October 31st. In France, they come out gradually, making there first appearances in the equivalent of the dollar-store, then in large supermarkets, and finally in retailer's storefronts. And although many decorations are of American design (usually made in cheap-labor Asian countries), the French traditional holiday is definitely alive, and still feted à la Française. So while Americans are lighting up their homes and front yards like an airport runway for Saint Nick, the French are quietly putting up a perfectly decorated tree, lighting holiday candles, and looking forward to Christmas dinner with the family on the 24th.
Christmas dinner in France is a gastronomical event. The first course is often fois gras served with a sweet white wine, such as a Sauternes. If seafood is on the menu (what holiday would be complete without smoked salmon?), Muscadet, Sancerre, or another dry white wine is a good choice. The main course calls for a turkey or other foul, stuffed with chestnuts and served with baked apples, lettuce, a few extra chestnuts tossed on the side, or potatoes - ideally all of the above - and accompanied by a good Beaujolais or Côtes du Rhone. Then comes the cheese. A selection of several cheeses is presented on a platter, and can be accompanied by a green salad. Finally, Christmas would not be complete without the traditional Bûche de Noël, what we call the Yule Log, for dessert, and a glass of champagne, followed by the optional petit café.
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