What is Christmas like in France?

Not letting a lack of knowledge stand in the way of an opinion, I am going to say cheese and wine.

i don't think they put ketchup on their fries.



don't quote me on that though, please...

Do they call them American Fries ?

You're just an ignorant fool, nothing more!

jane has spoken, you might as well find another forum...

ain't never been there (france and all), but i found this and thought it was kinda cool...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbWyZZ7eUsc&feature=related

Ignorant - A willful neglect or refusal to acquire knowledge which one may acquire and it is his duty to have.

Fool - One who is deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding.

People who know me would not say that is a description of me. When people who know me and want to insult me, they stay away from words like that because they tend to end up looking like an ignorant fool.

Do I detect a romantic night in gay paris ? One that still has embers glowing ? Or are you just a Francophile ? Is this a carryover from another thread ?
If only you had of told me what your opinion was first, so I could have been an infallible sage by agreeing with you. Now I realise you are not just some moody opinionated twit...you are a censor.

I do not care to know you, not in the least, but I am glad that you're only
here since August, we enjoyed better days before that. Your answer to DrewDad's question of Christmas in France shows clearly your ignorance.

I happen to be European and yes I know Paris, but I am not "just a Francophile".

My answer was sarcasm at how some people have an opinion without knowledge and how some people have a limited view of France. In so doing, I was acknowledging my ignorance.
Then stop chatting with me....dopey !

I did a web search for traditions de noël, and, interestingly, got this result in English: Christmas in France at About-dot-com. If that is not sufficient, i found lots of results in French, but i am loathe to do the work of reading through them, and providing a translation, although i am pretty good at translating French into English (English into French, not so much). If you need/want more, post a message in this thread, and i'll try to come up with something more.

I hardly dare to come up with a serious answer to your question but here are some tips.
New Year is almost more important than Christmas Eve.
In northern France, children get gifts on St. Nicholas' Day instead of Christmas Day while adults share presents on New Year's Day.
The main Christmas feast is quite grand and is known as 'Le Reveillon', served as a very late supper held after midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Different regions have different traditional menus. Goose is served as the main course in Alsace while turkey with chestnuts is served in Burgundy. Parisians love oysters and pat de foie gras.

French families also bake a Three Kings Cake with a bean hidden in it on the Twelfth Day. The lucky person to find the bean in their slice is crowned the King or Queen
There are family gatherings during the holiday season. Churches and cathedrals are decorated beautifully and Christmas carols are sung and church bells are rung.

Here's a bunch of websites describing what you're seeking. They cover both modern and historic winter holiday traditions/customs in France.

http://www.helium.com/items/736998-christmas-traditions-and-celebrations-in-france

http://www.chiff.com/christmas/christmas-france.htm

http://www.sprachcaffe.com/english/study_abroad/countries/france/typical_french_traditions.htm

http://agora.virtualmuseum.ca/edu/ViewLoitLo.do;jsessionid=02162BA8B8DFA988BA185DC6D1311E0A?method=preview&lang=EN&id=6569

http://www.californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/traditions-France.htm

http://www.everythingesl.net/lessons/light_festivals.php

that does not help

I don't know. I've never been to France (that's a song....)
I do remember a photo of a store in Paris at holiday time that someone posted, probably Francis - or maybe I saw that on google images - marvelous display of lights, but I've no idea if light decorations have any major Christmas presence in cities or small towns in France, much less the countryside.