Archive for December, 2005
The holidays really started for the children on the 18th with a Sunday afternoon party at the local Salle de fete, and a visit from Le Pere Noel.
Who, secretly know to only us was really one of the locals, dressed in his Santa outfit complete with wellies and gold chain belt, (this same outfit has been for the past ten years!).
The local Mayor was there to keep all the children entertained with songs and then later juice, more chocolates and Satsuma’s.
The party was due to start at three but as is normal in this part of France, the party didn’t get going until around 4.00p.m. Though, there really was no rush! Santa arrived handing out sweets, chocolates and fruit from a large basket and then after a couple of impromptu songs, from the Mayor and the children gathered around him, the handing out of presents began in earnest, in all a total of 42 presents were given out to all the children under 12 in the commune. The gifts, which were much appreciated by everyone, including the parents, ranged from large world globe lamps to dolls, puzzles, fire engines, and pogo sticks. It is amazing really, the annual Christmas party with gifts for the young children has been a tradition for a long time.
We all then headed over to drinks table and passed a happy hour of conviviality catching up on all the local chat… mostly about the weather.
A few years past it used to be held on a Saturday evening close to Christmas and was followed by a dance. However as the numbers in the commune have declined over the years it is now held on the Sunday afternoon with a much smaller number of villagers. Still good fun though and all the children enjoy getting together, whatever their ages!
Christmas came and went with the usual quietness as it does here. Then the weather came with the same usual quietness, so we all woke up one morning to a thick blanket of snow. Our neighbour spent around an hour trying to get to work in his car, then gave up and took the tractor instead, and when he came back later in the day kindly spent the afternoon clearing the lane, only to have it freeze up in the evening, so next day no one got out. Mind you I think it kept the cows entertained as they watched with interest the coming and goings of ice bound vehicles trying to keep a straight path on the road!
