Beautiful Christmas

This weekend was a beautiful Christmas; it was one of those events that you can't forget and will always be a happy memory.  Everyone went to bed on Christmas Eve around 3:30am, following in extensive French dinner.  Unbeknown to me, my Bro detests seafood- and by chance the entire meal was of a seafood theme.  Starting with small toasts spread with eggs and 'crustacean butter', following with a decadent supply of oysters, smoked salmon, a seafood main dish composed of 'Coquilles st Jacques'.  The end of the meal marked the end of seafood for my bro for a LONG time.. but for those of us less picky the meal was a success and was quite delicious.

The spirit of Christmas carries over even when you are in your 20's... at 9am exactly, even if we didn't sleep very well the night before, our eyes popped open.  Bri was in charge of getting everyone else up and I was in charge of keeping the bed warm.  By 10am we were eating a light breakfast and 10:30am gifts were being opened.

Everyone got beautiful gifts, Bri got an electric razor, a new shirt and a Kinect, Bro got his complete French outfit; Brice got a selection of nice clothes, his girlfriend got some perfume and other lovely gifts- everyone got something and it was about a 2 hour opening session.

Bri got me something so amazing, knowing that I am not the typical jewelry and makeup type girl; he searched his heart to buy a gift he knew I would love and have for a long time.

My very own 'Le Creuset'.

He was beautiful, the deep enameled surface that guaranteed the lifetime of the product- the bright red color and the beautiful wooden handle.  It was perfect.



It didn't stop there, not only did I get my first 'Le Creuset' but I got by first French parfum.  I always see the pubs on the television describing the perfect smell and perfume- it's a part of the French culture.  Never once did I actually buy the perfum; but his parents decided it was time.  I had lived in France for about 7 months now, Bri and I had been together for almost 2 years and it was time...








of course they know, as well as Bri, that I am not just for the superficial and for a safe measure tossed in a set of cocottes and a cookbook... just in case.

Christmas presents lasted for about two hours, and in the end we were all exhausted and not very hungry.  We ended up eating another huge 'Christmas Lunch' at 4:00pm, as tradition enables, and that was another incredible meal; this time with a beautiful Christmas turkey, cardons and more Yule Logs.

I was amazed while discussing with my French family the fact that so many French people think that life in America is so grand.  They asked me if I thought it was better there than here, if I wanted to go back, what opportunities were different.  I came to the conclusion that the United States is a great country if you have a lot of money; if not, as a poor student or family, France is much more idealistic and offers many more opportunities to live a normal life.  A person can live a French life in America if they have enough money, there are replacement grocery stores like Zupan's, and it's possible to have that $3 baguette  every day- if your budget is big enough.

All in all it was a successful Christmas; one full of smiles and happiness and one where I got some very nice gifts to take home- I cannot WAIT to try my Creuset!

The Three Boys (Brian, Brice, Jason) on Christmas Eve

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