French Christmas memories: 6 sweet stories

Christmas in France is a time for reminiscing and sharing memories. It succeeds in bringing people together – friends, family, perfect strangers. The entire nation is seduced by its cyclical pull, its annual promise of cheer and goodwill. And what better to get you in the festive spirit than our dazzling array of French Christmas memories? 

As avid Francophiles, we dream of spending Christmas in France; sipping vin chaud and exploring les marchés de Noël. But not all of us are lucky enough to experience a French Christmas first-hand.

This year, we’re travelling back through time to bring you an authentic French Christmas experience – wherever in the world you may be!

We’ve asked six of our readers and team members here at MyFrenchLife™ to contribute their absolute favourite festive French anecdotes. Join us on our voyage of discovery as we re-visit our fondest French Christmas memories…

1.French Christmas Memories: Elisabeth

Elisabeth says…

“For a number of years, my parents owned a shop [in France] where they sold fish, poultry, and prepared dishes. Needless to say that the holiday season was incredibly busy. During that time, my brother and I… ”

Discover Elisabeth’s Christmas memories…

2. French Christmas Memories: Tina

Tina says…

“It was last Christmas and I spent it with my husband, whom at the time was my boyfriend. We were in Nice enjoying all the Christmas trees, decorations… ”

Discover Tina’s Christmas memories…

3. French Christmas Memories: Coco

Coco says…

“My most fond Christmas memory in France is when I went to my first Christmas market and tasted vin chaud for the first time. I went to the market in La Defense, which is definitely not one of Paris’ best, with three of my friends and… ”

Discover Coco’s Christmas memories…

4. French Christmas Memories: Abby

Abby says…

“My most fond Christmas memory in France was visiting the Strasbourg Christmas market. I had been to Strasbourg before, but never during the Christmas season. My friend and I decided… ”

Discover Abby’s Christmas memories…

5. French Christmas Memories: Jaqueline

Jacqueline says…

“My most fond French Christmas memory was naturally when I was a child, as both my mother’s and father’s families were from the same town in the south of France. In the morning…”

Discover Jaqueline’s Christmas memories…

6. French Christmas Memories: Norma

Norma says…

“My most fond Christmas memory was in December 2010. We landed mid-morning on Christmas Eve. Arriving at our hotel to find out that our room was not quite ready, we decided to part ways and purchase our stocking stuffers. Yes, we brought along our stockings to stuff in Paris. Why…”

Discover Norma’s Christmas memories…

What are your fondest French Christmas memories? Share your views in the comments box below or tweet us @MaVieFrancaise #MyFrenchChristmas.