Day 3120 (Tuesday) 23rd December 2025

This is the Corsica ferry in the Old Port in Nice

and this is Menton.

 

It was grey and horrible again today, the sun tried to shine but couldn’t quite manage it.

The forecast for tomorrow is looking a bit better and we’re hoping to go for a Christmas kebab.

French Christmas Decorations and Traditions

In France, many families set up a Christmas tree, known as 'le sapin de Noël', at home.

French Christmas markets, featuring wooden stalls, sell decorations and treats like mulled wine and gingerbread.

Advent calendars help French children count down to Christmas with little surprises behind each door.

Whether you are religious or not, Christmas, Noël (pronounced “no el”) is an important holiday in France. Since the French don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, Noël is really the traditional family gathering.

Now, many things have been said about Christmas in France, and its particular traditions such as the thirteen desserts, but many of these traditions are regional, and sadly have disappeared slowly over time

Right now, across France, here are seven traditions you might experience.

1. Le Sapin de Noël — The Christmas Tree

For Christmas, traditions demands that you go get a Christmas Tree “un sapin de Noël”, decorate it and set it in your house. Some people would plant theirs back in their yard. Most will just get a cut tree and throw it away when it is dry. Nowadays, many people prefer to have a synthetic tree that can be reused year after year. “Les décorations (f), les ornements (m)” are more or less precious but it is mostly in the U.S. that I’ve heard the traditions of passing on ornaments through generations. It is not a very common thing in France.

There is no specific time to put up the "sapin de Noël". Some put it up on Saint Nick's day (December 6th) and remove it on the 3 King Day (l'Epiphanie, January 6th).

Le sapin de Noël - Christmas tree

Les aiguilles de pin - pine needles

Une branche - a branche

Une décoration - a decoration

Un ornement - an ornament

Une boule - a ball/an ornament

Une guirlande - a garland

Une guirlande électrique - an electrical garland

L’étoile - the star

2. La Couronne de Noël — Christmas Wreath

Another Christmas Tradition is to put wreaths on your doors, or to use them as a table centrepiece. This wreath may be made of twigs, or of a fir branch, may have glitter, feature fir cones, and if placed on a table, the wreath often surrounds a candle.

Un centre de table - a centerpiece

Une couronne - a wreath

Une brindille - a twig

Une branche de sapin - a fir branch

Une pomme de pin - a fir cone

Une bougie - a candle

Une paillette - a glitter

De la neige artificielle - artificial snow

3. Le Calendrier de l’Avent — Advent Calendar

This is a special calendar for kids, to help them count down the days before Christmas. Behind each number is a door, which reveals a drawing, or a nook with a treat or a little toy. This calendar is usually hung in a communal room as to remind everybody of the countdown before Christmas (and keep an eye on the “door” openings so that the kids don’t just eat all the chocolate before Christmas...)

Un calendrier - a calendar

L’Avent - Advent

Une porte - a door

Une cachette - a hiding spot

Une surprise - a surprise

Un bonbon - a candy

Un chocolat - a chocolate

4. La Crèche de Noël — The Christmas Manger & Nativity

Another important Christmas tradition in France is the nativity: a little house with Mary and Joseph, an ox and a donkey, the star and an angel, and eventually baby Jesus. The nativity set can be larger, with the 3 kings, many shepherds and sheep and other animals and village people. Some are very old and in the South of France, the little figurines are called “santons” and can be worth quite a lot of money. 

Some family make a paper crèche as a project for Christmas, others have a tiny little one somewhere in their house, and some churches would have a live nativity scene during the Christmas mass.

Traditionally, baby Jesus is added on December 25th in the morning, often by the youngest child of the household.

La crèche - the manger/nativity

Le petit Jésus - baby Jesus

Marie - Mary

Joseph - Joseph

Un ange - an angel

Un boeuf - an ox

Un âne - a donkey

Une mangeoire - a manger

Les rois mages - the 3 kings, the 3 wise men

L’étoile du berger - the star of Bethlehem

Un mouton - a sheep

Un berger - a shepherd

Un santon - manger figurines made in the South of France

5. About Santa, Shoes, Stockings, Cookies and Milk

In the old days, children would place their shoes next to the fireplace and hope to get a little present from Santa, such as an orange, a wooden toy, a little doll. Stockings are used instead in the Anglo-saxon countries. 

In France, most new houses do not have a fireplace, and the tradition of placing your shoes by it has totally disappeared. Although he does bring the presents on his sleigh, in France what Santa does is not that clear: some think he comes down the chimney himself, some believe he sends a helper or just magically places the gifts on the shoes (if he is an old-fashioned Santa) or under the Christmas tree. In any case, there is no clear tradition of leaving cookies and milk for him… Maybe a bottle of Bordeaux and a toast of foie gras? Just kidding…

Le Père Noël - Santa (or Saint Nicolas in the North-East of France)

Le traineau - the sleigh

Les rennes - reindeers

Les elfes - elves

Le Pôle Nord - North Pole

6. Christmas Cards and Greetings

It’s customary in France to send out Christmas/Happy New Year cards to your friends and family, although this tradition is disappearing over time. If it's better to send them before Christmas, you have until January 31st to do it. Popular Christmas greetings are:

Joyeux Noël - Merry Christmas

Joyeuses fêtes de Noël - Merry Christmas

Joyeuses fêtes - Happy Holidays (more Politically Correct since not Religious)

7. Les Marchés de Noël — Christmas Markets in France

Christmas Markets are little villages made up of wooden stalls (called "châlets") which pop up in the centre of towns in December. They typically sell decorations, local products and "vin chaud" (mulled wine), cakes, biscuits and gingerbreads as well as many handcrafted items. Originally common in the North-East of France, they are now popular throughout France - there is a huge one on "les Champs Elysées" in Paris.

More Christmas cats