CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS 11
filled with warmth & light from the menorah candles, blending with the lights on the Christmas tree. We love inviting our friends in Singapore (family) to celebrate and hum along as we sing the Hebrew holiday songs. CHARLIE Australian / British As an Australian, it is hard for me to separate Christmas from summer. Christmas starts in the first week of December. We have a Santa advent calendar that I hide around the house and the kids have to play “hot or cold” to find it somewhere in the house. The lead up to Christmas is full of long leisurely days with BBQ’s in the evening and catching up with friends and family. On Christmas Eve the kids leave a carrot on the grass for the reindeer and a tipple and mince pie for Santa along with a letter that they have written to him. During the night of 24th December, the children are told that Santa flies around the world pulled by a group of reindeers, visiting all the children to leave a stocking of gifts. When the kids wake in the morning they open their stockings full of little gifts and chocolates. The bigger gifts from family are placed under the tree in the week before Christmas and once the extended family is all gathered on 25th December, we drink champagne and eat canapes and open gifts. Despite the fact it is usually a hot sunny day, we enjoy a Christmas meal for late lunch - roast turkey, glazed ham, vegetable salads, roast potatoes, stuffing and gravy. Regardless of who is hosting Christmas, my Mum always makes a traditional English Plum Pudding for dessert and she hides coins in the pudding for each of the kids to “discover”. Before eating it, Dad douses the pudding in brandy and helps to set it alight while we all “ooh”
and “ahh”. After lunch, we head down to the beach or if we are in the City, to the park. The next day is Boxing Day and it is the start of the cricket. So the day is spent at the beach, listening to the cricket on the radio and eating left overs. Christmas is happiness and sunshine. HELENE French Traditionally, the French would celebrate Christmas with their family on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, Parisians take a walk along the Galeries Lafayette to admire the department stores’ magical, spectacular Christmas window displays, while eating roasted chestnuts they bought from a street vendor. Some families go to mass in the evening - Midnight mass is still a religious tradition for many. At night, children, parents and grand-parents reunite to share a festive meal. Foie gras, oysters and smoked salmon for starters, a stuffed turkey as main dish and the traditional dessert called “bûche de Noël” (Yule log) are some of the delicacies the French place on their dining table. Not forgetting champagne of course! Depending on the family tradition, they would unwrap their gifts before or after dinner on the 24th. For those who respect tradition, the unwrapping of gifts laid under the tree by Père Noël will happen on the 25th in the morning. French people place a pair of their favourite shoes under the tree so Father Christmas can “give” to the right person. The French usually meet on Christmas Day (25th Dec) as well, to share another festive, gourmet and never-ending family lunch.
Boxing Day is not celebrated in France but we do celebrate Epiphany (the visit of the 3 Kings to baby Jesus) on January 6th. On this day we meet to share a Galette des Rois (Kings’ Cake). Joyeux Noël à tous! Merry Christmas to you all!