Stories of magical gifts and botched surprises, of family quarrels and marital dramas, of sprawling »dîners en famille«, nocturnal Breton Christmas fairies and the legendary thirteen Christmas desserts from Provence! "Joyeux noël"! The expectations of Christmas and the potential for conflict during these holidays are high. Also in France. Christmas Eve (»réveillon«) is initially a normal working day. The festival begins in the evening hours, but the tree (»sapin de noël«) is usually already decorated in the living room a week before. Christmas is at its peak in France - how could it be otherwise? - the feast. Gifts are only given after a long and unchanging menu, when Santa Claus ("père noël") has delivered them down the chimney. Most of the time, the whole extended family gets together, and then heat is generated by friction. Fresh disappointments lie under the tree together with old childhood memories; Champagne and wine do their part, and some people in France are happy that December 26th it's not a holiday...
With texts by Olivier Adam, Colette, Marie Darrieussecq, Michel Houellebecq, Marcel Pagnol, Leïla Slimani, Michel Tournier, Tanguy Viel and many others.
144 pages
