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Hi Christel
Welcome back to the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ blog and also to Paris again! First thank you for your last beautiful photos of Paris. Your description about Christmas party at your company was interesting specially, the part in which your children made drawings and decorated your office! It would be nice children making effort to decorate their mother's office! it was interesting for me. Christel, in your blog you explained Paris well as you mentioned the special places which are very attractive for the foreign people as I have seen some of them during my trip to Paris. At the end, I would like to remind you about Cabourg you promise to tell us how Christmas is celebrate there! I don't know if you forgot about. Did you?

Best wishes

Karoun

Welcome,

In this year a little atypically Christmas tree I dressed already the week ago, usually I did this by tradition on the Christmas Eve. I also must to do the external decoration, but I still have no idea what to make, in this year I would like to change something. In Poland is such tradition that on the table must be twelve dishes, in compliance with a quantity of months in the year. Basic dishes are: dumplings with the cabbage and mushrooms, the white borsch with mushrooms, the red borscht with ravioli, and first of all the different kind dishes of fish, the salads, for dessert of all sorts and kinds cakes (the poppy dominates) and fruit compote. In my family home we never drink the alcohol on the Christmas Eve supper. I remembered to add that all dishes have to be lenten.
Ps.
I wait for snow....
Best regards,
Maja from Poland

Hi Chrystel!
Hi, there!
It is Interesting photo of one Christmas day. You know exactly, what you are doing at every moment for a whole day. I can’t say the same about me. I don’t know what I will do at Christmas Eve or New Year Day. As for me, traditionalism is tedious thing. It brings boredom and sense of predeterminacy in our life. Anyway, we are going to set up and decorate a fir tree at New Year day for a daughter. She is waiting for gifts.
For Maja.
I have never heard about white borsh. I love traditional Ukrainian red one and often cook it for my family. So I think I should to googl the recipe of white and to cook. By the way, my French boss hate Russian cuisine especially borsh:)
Victor. Russia

Specially for Victor

The receipt on the white borsch with mushrooms and the leaven.
The day before the Christmas Eve I wet two handfuls of dried mushrooms. Next day I cook it in the same water to the softness, meanwhile adding the vegetable: the carrot, the parsley, the celery, the onions, the leek and at the end of cooking to add the garlic (squashy). Already at the end of boiling I add leaven (best to make by myself) and then I season with the salt and the pepper.
The leaven:
10 decagram the rye flour
2 glasses of water
The flour exactly to blend with warm, reboiled water and then to run into the stony pot and to leave on a few days in the warm place. When it has the sourness and a nice characteristic smell - to pour to the soups.
I do not give exact proportions because I do all "at a guess" (of course beyond the leaven in that case accuracy is very urgent).
If you want you can use these vegetables as the stuffing to dumplings (it's up to you)...
This dish is always served up on my Christmas-eve-table for many generations.

Enjoy meal!
Maja/Poland

Oh! Thank you, Maja. It looks delicious. You made very detailed description. I try to cook it in winter holydays. I love experiments with cookery.
Merry Christmas and happy New Year!
Victor

Hi Chrystel.
I have read your blog which is having very interesting photogrphs of paris .Also i will appriciate your kid to decorate your office on X-mas venu.it is my first time to comment on bolg .i would say it is good way of having information regarding the world.At last thank you for your information i hope will continue in future .
Tahnks

Tayyab

Hello Chrystel

I've enjoyed reading your blog so far and the pictures are absolutely breathtaking.I
haven't been to Paris and would love to visit one day.Paris is well-known for it's stunning landmarks,boutiques and shopping centres and so on around the world ,surely the No 1 choice for tourists.I have also heard that you have to speak a little French as well to get by in Paris,because people are a bit reluctant and unwilling to speak in English.I am not convinced ,but if that's the case unfortunately my French is really bad(that's an understatement),actually I can't speak a word in French (except bonjour and wii).Do I have to learn French before coming to visit?
I wish you all the best and Merry Christmas!

Dear, Chrystel. As you are, I am a mother too. And I know how difficult it is to combine a work with upbringing of the children. And it's great that you involve your children in christmas spirit through different activities. Especially I liked that from the 1-st of December you read a special book devoted to Christmass. My baby-son is too small now for such kind of books, we read now special, narrow baby's books, but perhaps I'll try to find something like you did. Tomorrow we are going to make New Years' card together.

I wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Julia, Russia.

Hello dear Chrystel:

Very interesting your blogs and beautiful the photos of the cloudy, romantic Paris.
For you, your family and the rest of the group:

"Merry Christmas and the best for the New Year"

Beatriz- B.A. Argentina.

Hi Christel
I had a good time reading your blog!!! I have been in Paris many times. I have spent one year studying in Normandy, close to Paris. That's why this blog brought to me many memories. I liked walking near the river and crossing all the bridges, visiting the museums (above all, Orsay), admiring the views of the city in Montmartre, visiting the landmark of Paris (La Tour Eiffel), etc.

Now I'm gonna tell you the Spanish traditions on X-mas and what I think is different from other countries.
- we set the Nativity Scene
- We eat 12 grappes at 12 o' clock at night on New Year's Eve
- We have presents from the three magi

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Maria, Spain

Hi Chrystel,
I totally agree with Maria above: Very enjoyable to read your blog - many pleasant memories of a fascinating city coming back to mind!
We spent a week in Paris when our daughters were about 12 and 10, and it was a huge success (even though we stayed away from Disney World or whatever it's called). Of course we visited all the landmarks and went on a river cruise at night - it was lovely and warm then... The most surprising thing, however, was that our girls just loved the day at the Louvre. My husband had had the ingenious idea to give them a guidebook before our visit, where we had marked some paintings and sculptures which they should find on their own. We equipped them with a plan of the museum, a mobile phone, pens to note down where they had found the individual pieces of art - and sent them on their way. So it was all like an exciting game for them, while we had plenty of time to choose our own tempo of looking at the exhibitions. We had been thinking that they would be exhausted and would want to leave by lunchtime, but when we met for lunch, the girls were exuberant, presenting in their book what they had already found and were full of determination to find all the rest too. No talk of leaving! In fact, it was me who was near exhaustion when, at the end of our visit in the late afternoon, the girls wanted to show us precisely where the exhibits were which WE hadn't managed to come across. It was so thrilling for them to be on their own and to have this task set to them.
From that time on, we always tried to include some kind of scavenger hunt in our city tours. The girls are (almost) grown-up now, but they still speak with shining eyes of their visit to the Louvre back then.

It was very interesting to read about that Christmas party for your children at your company. As far as I know, there is nothing similar here in my country.
Anyway, a very happy Christmas to you and all your family!

Elisabeth from Austria

HI Elisabeth,
I really love your idea of visiting Louvre with children. I think it's extremely funny for them. It's a good way to enjoy the museums.
Maria

Hi Chrystel,

It was interesting reading your post about Christmas and including children in Christmas party is the best idea. Usually, people at work would have a party together and exclude the children. However, in my view involving children in such parties is not only enjoyable for children but it also saves your time and money. Also, you don't have to go through all the trouble to arrange a child minder. So, it is a brilliant idea.

I also like your idea of reading Christmas stories to your children in the month of December. It is not only seems to be entertaining for children but children would also get educated about the tradition of Christmas. I am not Christian so I don't know what the Christmas stories are about but I am assume they are related to how Christmas came to existence etc.

The pictures are amazing and they brought back some memories from the time when I visited Paris.

Hope you had a good Christmas with your children.

Cheers

Varisha

when I was child I used to travel to my mother in franch so I saw this exciting place I invited you to visit it and I would to made decoration with my mam and Iused to buy cany and play with children neighbor on thoroughfare hilarious and cheerful all day .