Events in France in December 2026 are, as you would expect, spectacular. Throughout France Christmas markets spring up in the streets and squares. Many places light up their buildings in glorious technicoulor. Then it’s time for a short Christmas holiday (only Dec 25th is a public holiday), before gearing up for New Year’s Eve. Events in December 2026 in France are many, varied and exciting.

French school holidays (les Vacances de Noël) run from December 20, 2026, to January 4, 2027. It’s a busy time so plan your stay in advance.

More on How the French Celebrate Christmas
And most importantly, what they eat. French Christmas food is a serious matter!

Events in France in December 2026

To Dec 6, 2026:  The Herring and Coquilles Saint-Jacques Festivals in Normandy are superb and the chance to celebrate these famous fishes, so necessary to Normandy. Join the 100,000 odd enthusiasts for tastings, discussing the merits of, and enjoying every kind of cured herring and Coquille Saint-Jacques. Dieppe Festival is the best known.

There are many other ports along the Alabaster Coast that celebrate herrings and scallops, Granville, Ouistreham, Villers-sur-Mer, Port-en-Bessin, Dieppe, Courseulles-sur-Mer, Grandcamp-Maisy, Trouville-sur-Mer.

If you’re there, check out the Normandy D-Day Landing beaches.

To Dec 6, 2026: Cannes Dance Festival was founded in 1984. Internationally famous, it is particularly strong on contemporary dance, introducing new choreographers as well as supporting well-known dance companies.

To Dec 6, 2026: La Festival de Sainte-Barbe in Lens-Liévin, Pas de Calais. The main towns are holding celebrations of the saint who was martyred for her Christian faith on December 4, c. 2,000AD. One of 14 Holy Helpers, she’s invoked in thunderstorms so has become the patron saint of miners, armourers, artillerymen, military engineers and others who work with explosives. Look out for great theatrical and musical events in Lens, Liéven, Loos-en-Gohelle and Oignes.

To Dec 13, 2026: Biennale of Contemporary Art, Lyon. Every two years the Lyon Contemporary Art Biennal alternates with the Dance Biennal. This is a huge and important contemporary art festival, with work from around the world.

To Dec 20, 2026: Paris Autumn Festival is a huge arts events, taking in every discipline and taking place in different venues throughout Paris. Around 50 events cover the new and the avant-garde. It was created in 1972 by Michel Guy under the impetus of Georges Pompidou who wanted Paris to become a cultural capital. He succeeded; today around 150,000 people attend one of the events.

To Jan 4, 2026: Nancy in east France is a spectacular festival with a special weekend December 6 & 7, 2025. Over 70 exhibitors attend the event in brightly lit chalets, offering the public original gift ideas, art and craft objects and local specialities.

To January 2026: Christmas Markets take place all over France. Strasbourg is particularly important in east France; in north France make for Arras. It’s a good way to celebrate Christmas in France.

I will update the Christmas Market articles as soon as possible. Many of them take place on similar dates, so the information below is relevant.

Christmas Markets in North France in 2025
Christmas Markets in the rest of France in 2025

All month: Many towns and cities light up their buildings. Chartres is one of the best known (and one of the first), but you’ll find others throughout the country. I thoroughly recommend Le Puy-en-Velay, in the middle of the remote southern Auvergne. The buildings half way up its extraordinary volcanic outcrops look as if they are suspended in the sky. Magical.

To Jan 4, 2026: Chartres en lumières sees this wonderful city illuminated for its annual festival of light. It’s nightly so there’s no excuse to miss it.  

Events in France starting in December 2026

Dec 2-6, 2026: Les Trans Musicales Festival in Rennes, Brittany. Seeking out new musical trends, and new musicians since 1979, Les Trans has become synonymous with innovative, international music. Taking place at Rennes’ Exhibition Park, it produces some great new experiences.

Dec 4-6, 2026: Chestnut Fair (Fiera di a Castagna) in Bocognano in Celavo, Corsica is called the chestnut festival but it includes cheeses, olive oil, honey, wine and more. In fact all the goodies grown and produced in Corsica from over 150 agri-food producers plus music, crafts like pottery, knife-making and woodwork, and more.
More about food festivals in France throughout the year.

Dec 4-6, 2026: Salon du Cheval de Paris. The Paris Horse Show is important, with over 500 horses and 150 riders taking part in the diverse events from show jumping to dressage, eventing to the Arabian horse championship. 500 horses and ponies and 150 riders take part.

December 4-7, 2026:  Fête des Lumières, Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. This wonderful Festival started on Dec 8, 1852 when people in Lyon lit candles in their windows to celebrate the statue of the Virgin Mary being erected on Fourvière hill. It’s lost the religious meaning today but remains a fabulous city with over 30 new creations of light each year.

Dec 5-12, 2026: Rise Festival, Les Deux Alpes. As they say: “We’re music-at-altitude, we’re 220km of pistes, we’re France’s second-oldest ski resort found on Europe’s largest skiable glacier, we’re six nights and seven days of partying and skiing.” Want to go to Rise Festival?

Dec 11-13, 2026: Les Habits de Lumière at Épernay in Champagne is a great public celebration before Christmas. The lit up city puts on a big parade, fireworks, exhibitions, music, cellar tours, cookery demonstrations and bubbly tastings. And on Sunday there’s a vintage car parade. Visit some of the smaller houses and make your own discoveries.
I went in 2022; it was spectacular. Read about it here.
If you’re in Reims, consider a visit to one of the great Champagne Houses.

DATE TO BE CONFIRMED: Dec 13-14, 2026: Licques Turkey Festival, Licques, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France. It’s a wonderfully strange festival where take top billing.   Hundreds of turkeys are released to ‘rampage’ through the streets accompanied by local brotherhoods and dignitaries in all their finery! There’s also a gastronomic fair with wine tasting and food for all your Christmas luxuries.

Christmas in France 2026

Dec 24-26, 2026: Christmas Eve is the time when French families and friends get together for an almighty feast with oysters, salmon, beef and more. On Christmas Day some families go to church; other people gather in bars in the morning. Many shops are open, but only to noon or 1pm. It’s a quiet day!

Dec 31, 2026: Le Réveillon, or New Year’s Eve, is very much a public holiday. So book a restaurant and get merry with the French who certainly know how to enjoy themselves. And stay in a city which celebrates it superbly.

How the French celebrate Christmas

Events in France in 2026

If you know of other events you think I should include, please do let me know!

Events in France in January 2026
Events in France in February 2026
Events in France in March 2026
Events in France in April 2026
Events in France in May 2026
Events in France in June 2026
Events in France in July 2026
Events in France in August 2026
Events in France in September 2026
Events in France in October 2026
Events in France in November 2026

Major New Events and Openings in France in 2026

Geography of France

To help you find those events, here are a couple of articles on the geography of France

Regions of France
Departments of France

AND…

French Public Holidays

More about great Food Festivals in France

Happy Holidays!

The post Events in France in December 2026 appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

Plan a trip taking in the Christmas châteaux in the Loire Valley around Orléans that have special Christmas openings and events. They are located to the south west of Orléans, with a couple further away.

I have listed them geographically down the Loire Valley from Orléans, starting with Meung-sur-Loire. The last two châteaux listed here are a little out of the way.  

Château de Meung sur Loire

The small medieval town of Meung-sur-Loire itself is well worth a visit. Combine it with the Christmas château and it makes a great short break. This year over 20 of the rooms are themed specially for Christmas. Lucie Lux, a very special character, takes you on a new 20-minute adventure with le Krizo theatre group, daily at 2.15, 3, 3.45 and 4.30. You can draw or write on the walls of one room;  Santa is waiting to greet you (up to Dec 23), meet Walter the magical speaking robot and let off steam on the bouncy castle.

Château de Meung sur Loire
16 Place du Martroi
45130 Meung-sur-Loire
Tel: +33 (0)2 38 44 36 47
Website
Open: Nov 29-30, Dec 13-14, 20-23, 26-30. 2-6pm
Admission: Adult €12,50, reduced price €11, child 4-15 years €9, under 4 years and over 80 years free.

Chambord Château

Chambord is one of the great châteaux of the Loire Valley. And it is huge with over 400 rooms…and 282 fireplaces. At Christmas it pulls out all the stops (though it doesn’t light all the fires). Decorations are inspired by fairy tales, particularly Hans Christian Andersen commemorating the 150^th anniversary of his death. There’s a brand new grand magic show by Gaël the magician, a festive Christmas village near the château, as well as activities every weekend in December from traditional games to Renaissance dances. Don’t miss the chocolate painting. This is one of the Christmas châteaux in the Loire Valley around Orleans that you should see.

The château and gardens are decorated with Christmas trees, beautifully illuminated. If you can, get a look at the chateau from the canal side to see the yews lit up.

Chambord Château
Chambord
41250 Loir-et-Cher
Tel: +33 (0)2 54 50 40 00
Website
Open: Dec 21 to Jan 4: 9am-6pm
Check the website as the château will be closed on certain Mondays.
Admission: Adult €19.50; reduced price €16.50.

Château de Blois

Blois has one of the best son et lumière shows in France during the summer; at Christmas the mood changes. In 2025, from 28 November, stars will appear as if by magic.
In the paved courtyard of the château, a moon and stars shine on each façade; in the gardens, Under the Cloud offers more coloured lights.

Inside, garlands of lights magically bring the chapel back to life. Finally the highlight of the show: two huge stars, 5 metres high, shine in the immense Salle des États Généraux, illuminating its vaulted blue-midnight ceiling. And there are candlelit concerts, poetic performances and more.

Château de Blois
6 place du Château
Blois
41000 Loire-et-Cher
Tel: +33 (0)2 54 90 33 33
Website
Open: Nov 28-Dec 19: 10am-5pm (closes at 6 p.m. on Fri, Sat, and Sun.
Dec 20-Jan 3, 2026: 10am-7pm (closes at 5pm on Dec 24 & 31)
Closed Dec 25 and Jan 1, 2026
Admission: Adult €14.50; reduced rate €11; child 6-17 years €7.50; under 6 free.

Château de Cheverny

With lavish furniture and décor, Cheverny is a delight, particularly when it’s sumptuously decorated with Christmas decorations. This year the theme is Christmas treats with giant sweets.
Dec 7: Santa Claus arrives…but how remains to be seen. There’s the giving of gifts then a chance for photographs with Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and their elves. Warm up with mulled wine and the famous Cheverny homemade hot chocolate.

Château de Cheverny
Avenue du Château
Cheverny
41700 Loire-et-Cher
Tel: +33 (0)2 54 79 96 29
Website
Special Christmas Events: Nov 29, 2025 to Jan 18, 2026
Open daily: Oct 1-Dec 31: 10am-5.30pm
Admission: Adult €15; reduced rate €11; under 7 years old free.

Domaine of Chaumont-sur-Loire

The gracious château looking down onto the Loire River is mainly known for its annual garden festival (a bit like Chelsea Flower Show but it lasts much longer). Visit in winter and discover how the family prepared for Christmas Eve in the late 19^th century. Marie-Charlotte-Constance Say, heir to the Say sugar refineries, was the last private owner of the château from 1875 to 1938 and she spent money lavishly. From the stables to the chateau’s rooms, decorations transform the castle, particularly in the salon with its decorated Christmas trees. The feast is being prepared in the kitchens.
Take a guided tour to get a glimpse of some of the smaller, different rooms from the servants’ quarters to the children’s bedroom.  

Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Chaumont-sur-Loire
41150 Loire-et-Cher
Tel: +33 (0)2 54 20 99 22
Website
Open: Nov 29-Jan 11, 2026. Daily except Dec 25 and Jan 1: 10am-5.30pm
Admission: Winter Low Season Adult: €16; reduced rate €9; 6 to 11 years old €4.

Château de la Ferté Saint Aubin

Privately owned and lived in continuously for over 350 years, the Château de la Ferté Saint Aubin goes all elvie at Christmas. The first elf, Barnabé, will introduce you to the adventure of exploring the castle. The stables are full of miniature animals; a musician elf practices in Santa’s private apartments; there’s a toy attic, a DIY workshop and kitchens where the gourmet elf will offer you his famous honey madeleines and a hot chocolate. And you end by meeting Santa.

Château de la Ferté Saint Aubin
2-4 rue Général Leclerc
La Ferté-Saint-Aubin
45240 Loiret
Tel: +33 (0)2 38 76 52 72
Website
Open: Dec 6-7, 13-14, 20-23 & 26-30 2pm-6pm
Admission: Adult €16; reduced rate (12-20 years old); €14 Child (4-11 years old) €1; under 3 years free

Château de la Bussière

Christmas fairy tales transform every room with decorations on the theme of the best stories of our childhood. Walk through enchanted villages, forests made out of paper and rooms fit for a princess. Taking place from Dec 6, 2025 to Jan 3, 2026, there are special days with interactive events called Spectacle de magie de Noël (Dec 6, 7, 13, 14, 23, 26 & 30), and from Dec 27 to 29, actors take over as they bring to life the story of Cosette (episode 4) in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.

Château de la Bussière
35 Rue du Château
La Bussière
45230 Loiret
Tel +33 (0)9 50 55 63 68
Website
Open: Dec 6-7, 13-14, 20-23 & 26-30, Jan 2-3, 2026: 2pm-6pm
Admission: Adult €10, reduced rate €7.50, 4-15 years €5
Château and spectacle: Adult €13, reduced rate €10.50, 4-15 years €9

Discover the Château de la Bussière on the drive down the Loire Valley between Nevers and Orleans.

Château de Maintenon

The château de Maintenon was the glorious home of Madame de Maintenon, the secret wife of France’s Sun King, Louis XIV. For Christmas the château takes you back to the past, but a past rather more recent…the 19^th century. The year is 1843 and the glorious celebration is…A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Expect Victorian decorations, songs, a workshop and a lot more.
Their programme takes in talks about the story, carols, a workshop making Christmas crowns, Christmas cards and more. It starts with Father Christmas himself on December 7, with horse and carriage rides, a walk with singers and fireworks.

Château de Maintenon
2 Place Aristide Briand
Maintenon
28130 Eure-et-Loir
Tel: +33 (0)2 37 23 00 09
Website:
Open: Dec 6-Jan 4, 2026 : Tues-Fri 2-6.30pm; Sat-Sun 10.30am-6.30pm
Admission: Adult €8.50; reduced rate €4.50, 7 to 18 years €4.

More about Christmas in France

Christmas in Touraine in the Loire Valley Chateaux

Christmas in France

December Events in France
Best Christmas Markets in France
Best Christmas Markets in North France (plus where to stay in each town)
How the French celebrate Christmas
Festive Christmas Food in France

More about the Loire Valley

Drive the whole way along the Loire Valley from Le Puy-en-Velay in the Auvergne to St. Nazaire where the mighty river empties into the sea
The Great Rivers of France

Geography of France

Departments of France
Regions of France

The post Christmas Châteaux in the Loire Valley around Orléans appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

Visit a Christmas château in Touraine in France this year and what might you see? A magnificent stately palace lit up; trees decorated inside and out; costumed creatures taking you on a historic journey – let the imagination take over!

I become a child again at Christmas, believing everything I am told (well for a little while), hoping everything will be wonderful. It doesn’t last the January chill but hey ho, I enjoy it while I can.

So Christmas at the château. Which château? Seven have dusted themselves down, brought out the decorations and occasionally gone right over the top. The châteaux taking part are Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Chenonceau, Chinon, Langeais, Loches and Villandry. It’s called Noël au Pays des Châteaux (Christmas in the land of castles).

Their Christmas special displays and events run from Saturday 29 November 2025 to Sunday 4 January 2026.

See below for details on special deals, prices etc. for the Touraine châteaux.

Christmas Châteaux in Touraine in the Loire Valley

No surprises that the Christmas extravaganzas take place in the Loire Valley and particularly in Touraine. This lovely stretch of river is the place where the Kings and Queens of France and their illustrious courtiers, mistresses and favourites, built their grand castles, strung along the river like a necklace of pearls.

You might wonder what a Renaissance Christmas was like for children. You’ll discover that here in the Loire Valley.

Amboise Château

In 2025 the forest comes into the castle. Glorious trees decked with fantastical decorations fill the rooms. Even the names conjure up fairy tales: The Tree of Dreams and Fantasies, the Tree of the Fearless Knight, the Forest Prince of the Dark Night, the Tree that Wanted to be King and more.

Events are planned, such as on Dec 26 and 29, a special walk through the castle, entirely illuminated by thousands of candles. Magic!

Azay-le-Rideau Château

Gourmandises au royaume des contes (Delicacies in the fairy tale kingdom) celebrates just that – food and fairy tales. Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and more are dreamt up in glorious exhibits that fill the tables in the rooms of entrancing Azay-le-Rideau.

Château de Chenonceau

Chenonceau sits astride the river; its long gallery windows reflected in the waters below. It was a recreation by Catherine de’ Medici of her beloved Florence where the Ponte Vecchio connected the Medici galleries with the Palazzo Vecchio and never fails to charm.
She let her famous beloved birds from her aviary fly free inside the long gallery with its black-and-white-draughtboard floor. was where she let her birds from her aviary fly free.
Christmas sees the château transformed with festive art. Check the website for special events.

Chinon Château. La Fortresse Royale

Treasures of Christmas takes you back to childhood and the toys, games and pastimes you enjoyed. Once you’re past the guardian dragon, find the treasures, all surrounded by golden light. La Tour de l’Horloge has a photographic exhibition, Gold in your hands, illustrating the Touraine artisans who work at gilding and use gold leaf. On Dec 28, discover the Chinon at night.

Château de Langeais

The medieval Château de Langeais was lit by candlelight and lanterns. A light display features candles and lanterns as well as fairy lights, creating spectacular lighting effects. The rooms are specially lit, showing up the superb furniture, tapestries and more and illustrating the time when only the rich could afford to light their castles; the poor lived in semi darkness.

The Château of Loches: Royal City of Loches

The Château of Loches (known as the Royal City of Loches) is a huge defensive building on a rocky spur overlooking the Indre river. At one end stands a mighty keep, at the other, the château which this Christmas reinvents myths and legends. Like all the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, it mixes magic and fear, though it’s probably the parents who will feel the fear as you walk through the treasures.

Villandry Château

Villandry’s theme fits perfectly: At Christmas, nature comes into the château. Villandry is known for its gardens, so their Christmas show brings all the glories of nature inside. Walk past crackling fires, Christmas trees are bedecked with all kinds of baubles; reindeer, fawns, owls, squirrels and foxes fill the main rooms; there are plant decoration and an enchanted forest.
Special papier mâché works, inspired by the gardens and created by artist Véronique Chauvet will fill the dining room and library.
Look out of the windows onto the winter gardens with mosaics of ornamental cabbages and leeks, box tree lacework, yew tree topiary, and long avenues of sleepy lime trees.

The Touraine Tourist Offices have special rates to visit the thre chateaux of Azay le Rideau, Chinon and Villandry
3-château pass: Adult from €33
The pass also gives you discounts at shops, and tour companies.

You can buy the pass at the Touraine tourist offices or on line here.

Information on France

Departments of France
Regions of France

Christmas in France

December Events in France
Best Christmas Markets in France
Best Christmas Markets in North France (plus where to stay in each town)
How the French celebrate Christmas
Festive Christmas Food in France

More about the Loire Valley

Drive the whole way along the Loire Valley from Le Puy-en-Velay in the Auvergne to St. Nazaire where the mighty river empties into the sea
The Great Rivers of France

The post Christmas Châteaux in Touraine in the Loire Valley appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

French Christmas food has to be seen, and experienced, to be believed. The supremely gourmet nation pushes the boat out over the festive season, providing one lavish meal on Christmas Eve. As much of the meal takes place after midnight, it does extend into Christmas Day.

Most people don’t get this kind of table! It’s at Vaux-le-Vicomte, near Paris, which puts on a splendid show leading up to the festival season.

The Christmas meal is the most important one of the whole French year, and a mighty grande bouffe it is.

If you’re invited to one, here’s what to expect. My first was in the Auvergne with friends who run a spectacular chambre d’hôte. It started at 7.30pm and went on into the small hours as dish after dish appeared on an already groaning table. The impromptu dancing around 1am helped the digestion but not my head the next morning.

Special French Christmas Food

You might not get all of these French Christmas foods, but some of them will certainly be on offer.

Caviar

This is traditional, and there’s a reason it’s called Black Gold. Caviar is expensive and not to everybody’s taste. Paris is, not surprisingly, the capital of French caviar where shops like Petrossian sell it in beautiful tins, making great gifts if you can afford them.

Caviar is the roe, or eggs, from female sturgeons and traditionally comes from a variety of fish native to the Caspian and Black seas. Hence the Russian connection.

Caviar can come from the roe of other species including salmon and trout though the real afficianados look down on that type.

Caviar became the rage in France in the 1920s particularly after the restaurateur, Madame Emile Prunier established caviar centers in the Dordogne and Garonne rivers where a native species of sturgeon, the Sturio, flourished.

In the 1980s the Sturio was overfished and a ban was introduced. But ever resourceful, around 15 companies began farming sturgeon in the south west of France. It happened after the former USSR did a deal with France in which a hardy species of sturgeon found in Siberia, the Baerii, was introduced to France. But it’s still expensive; female sturgeon have to be 10 years old before you can start harvesting the eggs.

Today the best native French sturgeon come from the marshy Sologne in north central France near the Loire Valley.

Expect caviar to be served chilled, using a plastic of mother-of-pearl spoon (metal will effect the taste) on a blini, topped with sour cream. Serve with vodka if you’re eating the Russian variety. Otherwise pour the Champagne and enjoy it.

If that’s all too much, start the evening with smoked salmon on blinis, but stay with the bubbly.

Oysters

The French love oysters. The country is the number one consumer and exporter of oysters. Around 150,000 are produced each year and 90% of those are eaten within France. The French were the first in Europe to produce them on a large scale. In the 1800s Napoleon III introduced oyster farms as wild oysters were being overfished.

You’ll definitely find oysters on everybody’s French Christmas food menu. If you want to buy them there’s always an oyster stall at any of the markets around Christmas.

You can cook them (like many people I prefer them this way). Wash them down with a dry white wine.

Oyster Producing Regions

Normandy’s oysters come from Isigny, Saint-Vaast and even the Normandy D-Day landing beach at Utah.

Many of Brittany’s oysters come from Cancale, Saint-Brieuc, Morlaix and the Bay of Brest. The taste of the famous Brittany ‘Belon’ comes from the south coast of Finistère where salt seawater meets fresh water from rivers and springs. And oysters farmed around Quiberon and in the Gulf of Morbihan with their distinctive flavor from tidal streams are particularly popular.

Along the Atlantic Coast, the islands of Ile de Ré and Noirmoutier produce great oysters. The most extensive oyster farming area in the world is in Charente-Maritime at Marennes-Oléron, where the ancient salt marshes give the oysters a special aroma and colour.

Probably the most famous area is the Arcachon basin in Aquitaine which has produced oysters since Roman times. It’s now vital as a breeding centre providing spats (oyster larvae) to most of the rest of France’s oyster farms.

Lobster

No expense is spared for French Christmas food, hence the appearance of lobster. And at this time of year it’s particularly expensive as the high season for French caught lobster runs from April to August when lobsters cost around €30 per kilo on market stalls and in fishmongers.

Lobsters from Brittany here, sometimes called petit bleu, are considered some of the best. But confusingly, they might be labelled Bretagne and they may well have come from England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland; there are more here than along the west coast of France, and Normandy.

The American lobster is about half the price and comes mainly from Canada. The lobster fishery there is the largest in the world, exporting huge amounts of live and frozen lobsters to Europe.  French who want the proper native version get their lobsters direct from various companies like Les Ligneurs de l’île Vierge in Plouguerneau in Brittany.

Foie Gras

Whatever you may think of foie gras, it’s an integral part of Christmas food in France. As French law states: “Foie gras belongs to the protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France”.

It was first farmed by the ancient Egyptians around 2,500 BC who found that before the autumn migration from high pastures, their ducks and geese had gorged themselves on maize which had enlarged their livers.

As always, it was the Romans who recognized it as a food in its own right. The food writer Apicius is credited by Pliny the Elder (1^st century AD) with discovering that dried figs enlarged the liver. If the methods were dubious, the end was rather more humane: “when they are fat enough, they are drenched with wine mixed with honey, and immediately killed.”

It passed into Jewish cooking as Judaic culinary law forbids cooking with lard or butter (the latter because it was forbidden to mix meat and dairy). From there foie gras was taken over by the population outside the Jewish communities.

Where is Foie Gras Produced?

Today, the main region for producing foie gras in France is Périgord (Dordogne), Aquitaine in the southwest, and Alsace in the east. You’ll find it in local markets where it’s sold whole, or as a mousse, parfait or pâté.

There’s an annual 3-day Fest’oie festival held in Sarlat in the Dordogne on the first weekend in March. The celebration of the goose takes in cooking demonstrations, stalls groaning with goose products, stalls selling food that fill the streets with the cooking smells, children’s activities and yes, the stars of the show, geese waddling through the town.

More Food Festivals in France.

For a rich dish, try ‘Strasbourg Pie’, a pastry filled with goose liver. It’s had its moments in literature. In Patrick O’Brian’s 1988 sea adventure novel set in the Napoleonic wars, The Letter of Marque, Capt. Aubrey and Dr. Maturin tuck into a ‘Strasbourg pie.

T.S. Eliot included it in Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats:
And you might now and then supply
Some caviar or Strasbourg pie.

Escargots

Snails are eaten throughout the year but they have a special place in the grand French Christmas food tradition.

The main snail types are Petit Gris, wild native snails or garden snail, Gros Gris, whose body grows to around 3 inches long, and the Roman snail which has made Burgundy the capital of the snail world. It’s quite right; Burgundy is one of the great food centres of France, competing with Lyon and the surrounding area. While some snails are still gathered in the wild in France, the vast majority come from snail farms.

Snails are cooked in the oven and served with a creamy garlic butter; or cooked and put back into their shells with that garlic creamy butter sauce, or cooked in a meat the white wine broth then put into puff pastry cases.

Coquilles Saint Jacques

Scallops appear at the Reveillon feast as part of the seafood dishes. They’re as fresh as can be as Christmas comes right in the middle of the scallop fishing season which lasts from October 1^st to mid May.

This year (2020) fishermen have pulled in a bumper crop along the coasts of Normandy and Brittany. Scallops have been increasing since 2000 as the French authorities promoted careful fishing, so good news – you might find this delicacy slightly cheaper than normal.

Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing

You might not equate turkey with French Christmas food but they’ve been part of French culinary tradition since the 16th century when the first turkey arrived in France. Eating turkey at Christmas has been a French tradition since the 19^th century. Stuff the Dinde de Noël with chestnuts that you’ll find throughout France.

The most sought after are the relatively rare black turkeys from the Bourbonnais, Bresse, Gers, Normandy and Sologne. The most expensive, considered the best, comes from Bresse in Burgundy, the only bird that carries the prized Appellation Controlèe distinction.

The small and otherwise unknown town of Licques in north France has a particular and peculiar tradition. The Fête de la Dinde (Turkey festival) sees the birds herded through the town by the Confrerie de Licques, the local bigwigs. It takes place each year in December.

Other Birds and Wild Fowl

Rejecting turkey in favour of another bird or wild fowl depends as much on the region as personal preference. You might come across guinea fowl (pintade), quail (caille), pheasant (faisan), or goose (oie) – particularly in the Alsace region of eastern France.

Capon, which is a castrated rooster is the most popular substitute and as you’d expect, the best ones come from Burgundy.

Whatever the main dish, you’ll get one or two vegetables and a sauce or gravy with it.

Cheese

At every meal the French eat cheese before the dessert and le Reveillon is no exception. This will often feature regional varieties although the one traditional Christmas cheese remains the glorious creamy Vacherin Mont d’or.

This AOP cheese from the Jura mountains is only produced in the autumn and winter when the cattle have come down from the high pastures, fat from the rich grass.

So what’s left?

Possibly Thirteen Desserts

Don’t worry, this is only served in Provence. The 13 desserts represent Jesus and the 12 apostles and some of them are more like biscuits than desserts. They’re the sort of delicious items that are left out over the Christmas period and you just take one when peckish.

Bûche de Noël

Outside Provence it’s the Bûche de Noël, a decorative and delicious rich chocolate cake shaped like a Yule log. Towards Christmas the windows of every pâtisserie in every town in France are full of these Christmas delights.

In Paris, of course, chefs create their own signature log making it a status symbol.

And to drink with French Christmas Food?

Champagne is a must at Christmas, and it has to be Champagne or possibly a respectable sparkling French wine. No Prosecco! You start Le Reveillon with the bubbly before going on to wines, then the inevitable digestifs at the end of the meal.

See what the Champagne houses in Reims have to offer.

And a Gift to your Host?

If you’re wondering what on earth you could take to somebody who has invited you to dinner and money is no object, try something different. Perhaps macaroons from Ladurée?  

Or push the boat out with Fouquet’s chocolates. A limited edition box signed by the illustrator Laurent Seroussi is a mere €100. Or perhaps go for the smaller box of marrons glacé at €40 or for a bargain, the smallest truffle box at €32. Seriously, this is the best confectionery in the world.

I wish you all a very Joyeux Noël.

More to enjoy

How the French Celebrate Christmas – from St. Nicholas’s Day to Epiphany, when the famous galette des rois (King’s Cake) brings Christmas to a close. It’s a month long celebration.

Other December Events (yes, there are many!)

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