On behalf of all of us at easycottages.com we’d like to wish you a very merry Christmas. Whoever you’re with, and wherever you’re staying, we hope you have a fantastic day filled with lots of food, many gifts and much merriment!
Archive for December, 2010
Happy Christmas!
Saturday, December 25th, 2010A festive guide to France
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
Following our guide to UK events in the winter time, we thought we might take a trip over the channel to look at French festive customs. As you might expect there’s a wide selection of cultural events that play to France’s many strengths as a tourist destination. Of course, with so many strengths you can expect an equal amount of enticing activities. And with such a fantastic culinary heritage, food and drink plays a large part in making sure residents and visitors to France enjoy a ‘Joyeux Noël’.
Christmas comes early in some parts of France, as Santa brings presents on 6 December – otherwise known as the feast day of Saint-Nicolas. On this day children put their shoes in front of the fire hoping that Père Noël considers them good enough to receive gifts. The alternative is Père Fouettard, whose less welcome appearance is marked by spankings for naughty children!
Many parents wait until New Year to exchange gifts, with the festive highlight for many being le réveillon, a banquet that follows midnight mass. Le réveillon celebrates the arrival of Christmas, with many regions enjoying their local delicacies.
In the Paris and Il-de-France region this usually consists of local oysters; the Burgundy region usually serves turkey and chestnuts, and goose is usually the focal point of feasts in the Alsace region. Other courses may include snails, seafood, smoked salmon or caviar. The traditional Yule log, made from chocolate and chestnuts, is a welcome mainstay usually served in households all over the country.
While Le réveillon is celebrated at home, it is such a popular part of France’s festive tradition that many cafes and restaurants stay open into the early hours. Even better, it is normally accompanied by France’s other fantastic regional speciality: locally produced wine.
La Fête des Rois is France’s celebration of Epiphany and involves even more feasting. Thankfully, it takes place on January 6 so you should have plenty of time to get out and explore the stunning local scenery while you recover from Le réveillon and the New Year celebrations.
Top of the menu for La Fête des Rois is ‘galette’, or the three kings’ cake, which is a small rustic tart with a small item, or ‘féve’, placed inside. Once served, the person who discovers the item is crowned king or queen for the day. Sounds like the perfect way to finish the festivities to us.
If you’d like to book a fantastic value holiday cottage in France over the festive period then please click here to search on easycottages.com.
Festive events in the UK
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
It’s safe to say that winter is well and truly upon us. And while it may be advisable to stay inside for the foreseeable future, there’s a range of festive events taking place in the UK and Ireland during the next few weeks that are well worth getting out for. Weather permitting, of course.
We’ve been compiling a list in the easycottages.com office over the last few weeks which we’re going to present in this post. We’ve covered all bases with things to see, do, eat and buy over the next few weeks. If you have your own suggestions please leave a comment below. And don’t forget we feature great value holiday cottages in the UK and Ireland. Please search on easycottages.com.
Lapland UK in Kent is often regarded as one of the best meet Santa events in the UK, with the experience lasting 4-5 hours. Sounds perfect if you haven’t sent your list off yet.
Santa will also be taking part in the annual Kent & East Sussex Railway Santa Specials. Now in its 36th year, the event includes a fantastic ride on a steam train with Mr Claus among other attractions.
Meet Santa’s helpers at the Cairngorn Reindeer Centre in the stunning Scottish National Park. There’s a range of fun activities and maybe even an appearance from the boss himself. No wonder he needs 11 months off.
The festive period is taking over Edinburgh this year with a packed schedule, including markets, cultural events, shopping and much more. Expect the party to continue until Hogmany.
The Dickens Christmas Market at Rochester Castle promises a delightfully authentic festive experience, as the author spent a large part of his life in the region. Expect it to melt even the coldest of hearts!
Less traditional Christmas experiences can be found at the annual Christmas pudding race in Brighton. A charity event, the race sees competitors balancing a pudding on their plate while they navigate an obstacle course. We expect it’s as much fun to watch as it is to compete.
The Santa Dash returns to Glasgow this year and promises the unique sight of thousands of Santas running through the city streets for charity. There’s still time to register if you fancy taking part but equally, it should make for an entertaining spectacle.
The Eden Project in Cornwall is one of the best places to celebrate an unconventional Christmas. There’s an incredible indoor ice rink (open til Feb), carols and a fantastic winter market. While most events are expected to run as normal, due to the recent adverse weather conditions we recommend checking the website for updates.
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