Home for the holidays: Noël à la française

Christmas with Chez Pluie

In the heart of holiday merriment, the French Christmas dining table stands as a beacon of elegance, drawing inspiration from antique charm and the timeless allure of French traditions. Explore the considered details that compose this exquisite tableau, from the thoughtfully set table to the adorned mantlepiece, the twinkling Christmas tree, ambient lighting, and, of course, the pièce de résistance – an indulgent French Christmas menu that captures the essence of gastronomic celebration.

The French Christmas Table: Elegance Redefined

A stately antique French dining table takes center stage showcasing its timeworn oak. Accompanying it are Bentwood chairs by Thonet, infusing a hint of bistro chic into the dining room with their sophisticated casualness. The table is adorned with a red and white country-style checkered runner, while rattan place mats add texture and complement the tone of the chairs. Vintage crystal stemware catches the light, reflecting the intricate detailing of Napoleon III candelabras, complete with cherubic figures gracing their bases. A green garland, delicately adorned with fairy lights, weaves its enchanting trail, adding a refreshing touch to the festive scene.

The French Hearth

The hearth transforms into a visual symphony with a garland of pinecones and cinnamon sticks entwined around antique candlesticks. A silver wine cooler becomes a dazzling vessel for vibrant red amaryllis blooms. Adding a whimsical touch is a straw donkey, reminiscent of the traditional manger scene, introducing a rustic charm to the mantlepiece.

The Christmas Tree: A Tapestry of Lights and Ornaments 

The Christmas tree, a beacon of seasonal joy, is bedecked with warm white lights, red and silver mercury glass baubles, and locally crafted handmade decorations. White ribbon delicately weaves between the branches, while the tree-top star emanates a warm glow, courtesy of nestled fairy lights within. The tree stands in a wrought iron basket in the shape of a Medici urn – the focal point of the room.

Christmas Lighting with antiques

An antique copper lantern, suspended low over the dining table, contributes to the intimate ambiance. Its warm glow harmonizes with the luminosity of the garland on the table the lights on the Christmas tree. Candlesticks and candelabras adorning the mantlepiece and table flicker, casting a cozy, inviting atmosphere. The cut crystal stemware refracts the light, creating a mesmerizing multiplying effect, adding a touch of enchantment to the tablescape.

French Christmas Menu: Hearty French country winter fare with delicacies woven in:

Aperitif

The French Christmas dining experience transcends mere indulgence. French Champagne is served with aperitifs featuring fresh black truffles on grilled sliced baguette, homemade foie gras with fig jam and onion confit, thinly sliced charcuterie, and crunchy black radish drizzled with local olive oil and fleur de sel from The Camargue.

Entrée and Main Course

For the entrée, savor a pea and mint soup crafted from snap-frozen spring peas sprinkled with crumbled feta. The main course unfolds with a roasted guinea fowl basted in sparkling white wine, accompanied by roasted winter vegetables and a crisp leafy salad dressed in a classic French vinaigrette. Uncork a Grand Cru from Burgundy to compliment these flavorful dishes.

A classic French cheese board (cheese is eaten before dessert in France)

One of the most pleasurable things to arrange is a classic French cheeseboard – a delightful assortment of artisanal cheeses paired with dried figs, juicy apricots, sweet late harvest muscatels, and roasted almonds. Make sure you take the cheese out of the refrigerator at least four hours before serving to ensure that it is at it’s most gooey and tasty when the time comes! If your guests are timid and don’t want to make the first slice – cut one slice from each cheese – this will encourage people to try everything while also demonstrating how to cut each of the different types of cheeses – there is a rule book!

Here are some traditional cheeses that can be enjoyed at Christmas – serve with either white or red wine (Burgundy is perfect), crusty warmed baguette and grainy crunchy crackers.

Brie: A soft and creamy cheese with a velvety rind, Brie is known for its rich, buttery flavor. It hails from Meaux, in the Île-de-France region and is a staple on French cheeseboards. Remember, if it is not from Meaux, it does not follow the rules of the AOP, so it won’t be as tasty!

Camembert: Another creamy delight, Camembert features a white, bloomy rind and a smooth, gooey interior. This Normandy cheese has a robust and earthy flavor profile. Again, watch out for imitation Camembert and be sure to choose Camembert de Normandie (AOP).

Roquefort: A blue cheese from the South of France, Roquefort is made from sheep's milk. Its distinctive blue veins impart a sharp, tangy taste, making it a pungent and flavorful choice.

Comté: A firm and nutty cheese, Comté is produced in the Jura region. Aged for various periods, it can range from mild and slightly sweet to intensely savory, appealing to a broad range of palates. Choose either a 12- or 18-month Comté – you will taste the difference!

Chèvre (Goat Cheese): France is renowned for its diverse array of goat cheeses. These can vary in texture and flavor, from the crumbly and tangy Bucheron to the creamy and herb-infused Crottin de Chavignol.

Dessert - save room!

Open another bottle of French Champagne to celebrate the grand finale, dessert unveils a Bouche de Noël and the 13 desserts of Provence, a rich assortment encapsulating the spirit of a French Christmas feast.

The "Les Treize Desserts de Noël" or the "Thirteen Desserts of Provence" is a traditional Christmas custom in the Provence region of France. This delightful assortment symbolizes Christ and the Twelve Apostles and is typically served on Christmas Eve. The specific desserts may vary slightly, but the core elements include:

Dates: Representing the fruits of the Holy Land.

Calisson d'Aix: An almond-shaped candy made with almonds and candied fruit.

Pain d'épices: A spiced bread or gingerbread.

Nougat Blanc: A soft white nougat made with almonds and honey.

Nougat Noir: A dark nougat made with nuts and honey.

Quince Paste: A sweet jelly made from quince fruit.

Fruit Candies: Candied fruits like oranges, citron, and melons.

Pompe à l'huile: A festive bread made with olive oil.

Biscotins: Small almond biscuits.

Oreillettes: Fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Grapes: Symbolizing the Eucharist.

Walnuts and Hazelnuts: Representing humility and the hardships of life.

Raisins: A reminder of the wine enjoyed during the Last Supper.

Sharing these desserts is not only a culinary delight but also a way to come together with family and friends, celebrating the spirit of Christmas in Provence.

In this enchanting setting, where antique elegance converges with festive cheer, every element collaborates to compose a symphony for the senses. The French Christmas dining experience beckons, inviting you to revel in the art of celebration, gastronomy, and timeless tradition. Santé!

With a full belly, soak up the French Christmas town and market atmosphere as you browse this detailed Christmas article and the Chez Pluie website, which offer a wide range of holiday gifts and ideas on how to give your home a special festive French and restorative makeover this year.

Visit the website's cheering Gifts collection for inspiration on thoughtful presents and while you're there, treat yourself! For your friends who love all things French, see Chez Pluie's recommended gifts for Francophiles. 

The modern mailbox can serve equally as well as the chimney: Chez Pluie offers a streamlined shipping service. We send beautifully wrapped gifts directly to the recipient, or to you if you prefer to hand the present in person. 

Yuletide trimmings help add to the celebratory anticipation of welcoming family and friends into your home at Christmas. Read on for festive home and tablescape decorating tips and creative decorating activities that can involve the whole family -- see #7 and #8 for a special French surprise!

1. Decorating idea: French Christmas glow

Bring winter cheer to your neighbors and guests as they walk up to the front door by warming the exterior of your home with lanterns, pillows, throws, and lights.

Above are two charming antique metal lanterns with a lovely rustic patina, which are currently in stock at Chez Pluie. They can be carried or hung by the handle on the top. Breaking the winter chill with its warm glow, it would look delightful lit near a threshold outside. 

Cozy indoors: This antique French lantern adds quiet charm and a touch of history to a softly lit corner of the home.

2. Decorating idea: the salon

At the moment, there is a pair of exquisite, Neo-Renaissance style Antique French Gilt & Bronze Candelabra in stock that will brighten up a mantelpiece or tablescape.

Use natural focal points in your home, such as mantelpieces, to decorate for the festive season. Mirrors look especially great, reflecting light from holiday candles and other decorations. Chez Pluie always has a fantastic range of mirrors to choose from, so we invite you to browse the full range of mirrors.

3. Decorating idea: Christmas trees, the more, the merrier!

Christmas greening of both interiors and exteriors can be achieved using planted Medici urns, planters, baskets, and rustic fruit boxes. Leave bare for a full green effect, or adorn the sprigs with tinsel and decorations!

Beautiful antique urns are practical alternatives to the traditional Christmas tree stand. Authentic urns, like the one from Castelnaudary (pictured above), are heavy and sturdy and can adapt to holiday-themed use with ease.

Above is a lovely pair of weighty cast iron decorative urns from Chez Pluie that could be used as the base for a small Christmas tree.

Chez Pluie always has an extensive range of Medici urns available online.

4. Decorating idea: a French Christmas tablescape

A timeless French Christmas tablescape blends rustic charm with festive refinement. A long farmhouse table is dressed with classic rattan chargers, crystal stemware, and antique brass candlesticks, their flickering flames casting a golden glow.

Soft greenery and delicate lights add a natural, twinkling touch, while a decorated tree and vintage wine cooler with amaryllis lend holiday cheer to the background. This inviting setting captures the essence of a Provençal Noël—elegant, warm, and effortlessly welcoming.

Play with adding apothecary and old preserving jars, as well as carafes, to your table settings this holiday season. Explore Chez Pluie's glassware collection here.

A festive French tablescape comes to life with antique plates, shimmering crystal, and mercury glass candleholders nestled into a bed of fresh greenery and fairy lights. The result is an inviting glow that feels both timeless and celebratory.

Recreate the magic of a French Noël with antique tableware, vintage glassware, and a generous layering of festive greenery and fairy lights. This inviting tablescape pairs timeless elegance with rustic charm, making each place setting feel like a celebration in itself.

Enchanting tea and coffee sets, plates, incredible glassware, and special serving utensils and vessels can all be found online at Chez Pluie. Consider introducing highly decorative pieces, such as colored glass drinking vessels, vases, and busy table linen, to craft this sensibility.

Vases to treasure and that will offer daily pleasure are always available online at Chez Pluie. Explore the current collection of vases.

Green, red, blue, or plain white plates can help set the tone of different meal times over the holidays. Currently in stock is a fabulous rare set of 12 Majolica dessert plates with pink & blue flowers that would enliven a holiday tablescape!

Among the other dinner sets available now is an exceptional 90-Piece Japanese Porcelain Service with Mount Fuji motif, a charming mid-century Aegitna Vallauris fish-themed dinnerware service, as well as 1950s Sarreguemines Green Asparagus Service for 12 that would bring some color and interest to a festive dining table.

Discover Chez Pluie's vintage and antique stemware. New sets are always being added. There is a stunning set of four rare Daum champagne flutes with brilliant green petal stems that would look so great on a French-style tablescape this holiday season and are currently available!

5. Decorating idea: A Christmas bedroom

During the holiday season, feature objects you love that have some festive hues. Their coloring can allude to the special times of the year through careful arrangement. Think soft lighting, cozy textures, and antique accents that nod to the season without overwhelming it. It's all about creating a restful retreat that still feels connected to the magic of Noël.

Large vintage brass table lamps with shades, such as the one above, are currently in stock at Chez Pluie. Placing one near an object or material colored green, red, or white can help bring a touch of Christmas to the bedrooms and guest rooms.

Chez Pluie has an assortment of stools of varying heights that are convenient for use as a catchall in a bedroom or guestroom for newspapers, breakfast trays, clothes, or feet. The above stool is 13" high with tops that are covered in small-point tapestry depicting beautiful green, blue, and white trees in bloom. 

The above striking pair of vintage decorative painted panels features an elegant Roman-inspired design that would look fantastic displayed year-round but, over festive periods, could be used to set the tone for holiday-themed displays. 

Add Christmas touches to bedrooms with soft lighting and vintage accents—like glowing lamps on a chest of drawers, gilded mirrors, or styled headboards and fireplaces—for a warm and elegant retreat.

6. Creative decorating: Everyday objects and sculpture made festive

Encountering a pair of breathtaking wall sconces in a hallway, such as the pair of 1920s brass "Calèche" style lantern wall sconces pictured above, can lift the beholder's spirits. Set up, so they form a focal point, celestial sculptures such as these naturally come into their own around the holidays.

Gather comfy furniture around the fireplace and give Santa somewhere to rest his cold, weary feet by placing thoughtfully an 18th-century Louis XVI footrest with original cross stitch upholstery near the fire.

Introduce patterns of interest in your décor design - perhaps it's a color theme, star shape, inspiration from upholstery fabric, or wallpaper that weaves throughout the interior. Experiment with unique and unusual objects juxtaposed with elements of a different quality -- unite wood with glass, for example. As demonstrated in the inspirational photos throughout the blog, vases, such as these vintage glass vases with iridescent animal print pattern, or any treasured vessel, can make a marvelous impact.

A 19th-century Empire Montgolfier chandelier with beaded crystal strings, need I say more?

Make a statement with this rare, large, olive green glass vase from the nineteenth century decorated with foliage and berries. Its festivity can be emphasized, especially around the holidays.

Quintessential French décor, such classic olive pots, lend themselves gracefully to the esprit de noël.

7. Creative decorating: Festive fun with preserving jars

Demijohns resemble Christmas baubles in shape and are really easy to work with to transform into Christmas décor.

Secure the base of a candle to the top of a demijohn bottle to make an unusual candleholder.

 Demijohns can be a creative alternative to a Christmas tree in an apartment or modestly-sized home, and fun decorated with a strand of fairy lights.

Level the inside base of a preserving jar with pebbles and securely position a candle, et voilà, a hurricane lamp! These look fabulous lined up on steps. 

While on the theme of multipurpose, crockery such as side plates or platters is a practical and economical way to fill a wall, as well as fulfill their traditional use on the kitchen or dining table.

8. Creative decorating: Make a crèche de Noël

Enlist the help of young family members to set up a French-style nativity scene, or crèche de Noël. Magical pieces can be selected at French Christmas markets.

Sometimes Chez Pluie unearths very old and precious religious items, occasionally from churches. At the moment, there is a late 19th century terracotta Santibelli statue under a glass dome available. It would bring a tender or spiritual element to a home year-round, but naturally feature in a crèche de Noël also.

Nativity scenes can be formed over a lifetime. It's OK to start small! And even to stay small – a simple arrangement will ring true. The younger generation might search their toy box for a baby, animals, or something to use as a little bed that they might be willing to include. Model trees and shrubs can be found in the architectural sections of craft shops and can help set the rural scene, while hay can evoke a lowly cattle shed.

If you are able to visit France for Christmas at some point, be sure to visit the amazing nativity scenes at the various churches around the country, and for some breathtaking artistic displays, don't miss the famous crèche de Noël at Église de la Madeleine in Paris. While you are on holidays in France, select a special crèche ornament to include in the following year's nativity scene. Over time, you will not only build up a beautiful display but a group of memories as well – much like collecting treasured ornaments for the Christmas tree.

Shop French decorative objects for more ideas on how to recreate a nativity scene. If you are craving something in particular, engage the fabulous Finders Service at Chez Pluie. Susannah and Hugh Cameron will be only too happy to help.

Dreaming of a French Christmas? Read our blog "Christmas in France" to transport you there.

Thank you for reading. Salutations des saisons from Chez Pluie. 

For more inspiration on all things French, follow us on Pinterest and Instagram.

Explore our latest products delivered to your door from Provence.

Frequently asked questions

1) What is the traditional French way of decorating the house for Christmas?

Decorating the mantelpiece with forest greens and placing golden baubles and interspersing with pine cones; dressing a Christmas tree with tinsel, ornaments, and lights; creating a beautiful crèche; displaying reliquaries or other Christmas-themed sculptures in the house or on the window ledges, are ways the traditional French home is decorated for Noël. Fill lovely rustic vases and antique ceramic urns with fresh evergreen sprigs and position on tables and benches throughout the residence to evoke a French festive sensibility. For outside, traditional French homes often will have a Christmas wreath mounted on the front door. Courtyards and gardens will be illuminated with candles and lanterns and lovely evergreens or festively-colored elements will adorn chic garden sculptures. 

2) My yuletide tablescape needs some updating. What are some ideas I can incorporate for Christmas 2021?

This year, take some inspiration from traditional French tablescapes. Either commit to a neutral color palette with pops of one or two colors - this is very French. Choose for example a natural fibre for the placemats, an evergreen runner, and candlesticks. Consider using a variety of colored and clear glassware on the tabletop. Or if you are feeling like a more busy and lively aesthetic, try a patterned tablecloth, mix and match crockery, and cloth napkins – perhaps with a touch of embroidery. Place Christmas bonbonniere at each table-setting. Fill transparent glass jars with candy canes and other holiday treats.

3) What are some traditional French desserts at Christmas?

Bûche de Noël or Yule log, is ubiquitious with Noël and importantly it most likely originated in France before spreading to many European countries and the rest of the world. Shaped and decorated with chocolate icing and icing sugar to resemble a log of wood dusted in snow, the Yule log is a sponge cake layered with chocolate butter cream. You can go wild decorating it: think red berries, real holly, or use marzipan to mimic forest growth!

The Les Treize Desserts de Noël also is a very traditional French dessert, associated with Provence. Although the items vary village to village and family to family, below is an example of the 13 desserts of Christmas (the first four are a mix of dried fruit and nuts and linked to the monastic orders):

1. Raisins (Dominicans)

2. Walnuts or hazelnuts (Augustinians)

3. Dried figs (Franciscans)

4. Almonds (Carmelites)

5. Tangerines (yes, fresh fruit! If you don't have Tangerines, apples or another fresh fruit will do)

6. Biscotins (biscuits) from Aix

7. Two kinds of nougat (often from Montelimar, a town famous for its nougat)

• Nougat noir au miel (black nougat with honey, a hard candy made with honey and almonds)
• Nougat blanc (white nougat, a soft candy made with sugar, eggs, pistachios, honey, and almonds)

8. Pain d'epices (or spiced bread)

9. Fried bugnes (or angel wings)

10. Oreillettes(light thin waffles)

11. Calissons d'Aix (a marzipan-like candy made from almond paste and candied melon)

12. Casse-dents of Allauch (biscuit)

13. Cumin and fennel seed biscuits

4) For the friend who has everything, how can I find a present they will love?!

- For your green-thumbed friends consider a weathered planter or cachepot

- Candlesticks could make a special present for someone who loves meditative spaces and they can be used year-round

- Cheer wine appreciators with a champagne bucket, stemware, or bar accessory

- A classic set of linen tea towels or an old pot for displaying utensils on the counter will enrapture the home chef and help achieve mise en place in the kitchen

Related Posts:

20 Gift ideas for Francophiles

Christmas in France: Île-de-France, Alsace, Aquitaine, Rhone Alps, the Riviera, and Corsica

Seven ways to decorate with demijohn bottles