Many people are getting ready for Christmas on both sides of the Atlantic. And yes… there are interesting cultural differences!
In Canada, most of the action seems to take place at home or in the malls. Malls are where people browse, shop, have their pictures taken with Santa and enjoy a bit of the “holiday spirit” with seasonal products and decorations. Some houses have an impressive display of Christmas cheer, with huge inflatable Santas, Rudolph or holiday lights. And of course, Christmas music plays everywhere—ad nauseam.
We did the traditional Santa pic with Mark in Ottawa, before we left:
In Nantes, the action is most outdoor, which can be surprising considering it’s not exactly a tropical paradise. Christmas lights in most pedestrian streets make them lively. Most stores feature at least one Christmas tree complete with lights and decorations, and windows feature Holiday-themed art. No Christmas music though, and a higher focus on Christmas trees than on Santa characters.
Marchés de Noël seems to be a huge hit. These street markets are originally from Germany and border regions in France but are now popular in Brittany as well. The small stalls sell everything Christmas-related, such as seasonal food (gingerbread, roasted chestnuts, etc.) as well as various specialties from all over the country (cheese from Savoie, saucisson from Corsica, cannelés from Bordeau, flammkuchen from Alsace, etc.), “fun fair” food (cotton candy, Nutella waffle, churros, etc.) and crafty trinkets. The first time I walked by the marché de Noël place Royale in Nantes, I found it sweet to see so many people drinking hot chocolate—then I realized they were not drinking cocoa but downing hot wine. Ah, Brittany… people sure like booze!
Mark, who absolutely loves Christmas trees, is in heaven. He marvels at everything and stops whenever he spots something shiny. Yes, getting around takes a while, unless I put him in the stroller!
Wow the Christmas market look very pretty and busy:)
es, super popular place.
I love Christmas markets! I must have visited about 8 in Paris last year. Yours are so pretty! I love the shine of the cobblestone street in your pics.
We are lucky in Nantes, I agree, the market is nice this year!
The market in Nantes looks really pretty! Those cuddly gingerbread men seem to be everywhere, but we had to look really hard to find the vin chaud at the market in Boulogne last week.
Those Christmas markets definitely look like the ones I see here in Berlin!
Did you take pics?