When it gets towards the end of November (or really as soon as Halloween ends), people tend to start thinking towards the holidays. In France, the streets start getting decorated with festive lights, and all the shops put up their holiday lights, and decorations, to signal the start of the season. Even though in the US that’s usually delayed slightly by Thanksgiving, the lights going up signaled both a joyful feeling of excitement to see them lit up (and the fact that it means the holiday break is getting closer), but it also came with a twinge of homesickness, and longing for those we hold most dear (I sound like a Hallmark film right now, but if you’re not sappy at the holidays, when will you be?) When I was in London, I remember feeling saddened by the fact that I would not be at home for Thanksgiving for the first time in my entire life, but also that I was relatively alone in a season where we’re supposed to be surrounded by family, and friends, and although my circumstances this year are different, some of those same feelings did surface. 

I wasn’t expecting it, but this year at Thanksgiving, I did get a pang of longing to be at home, seeing family, and eating pumpkin pie (there aren’t many American foods I miss, but this one is something I truly miss dearly). Even with this feeling though, this didn’t mean that I let the holiday slip by unnoticed. I did a couple of Thanksgiving lessons in my classes, complete with hand turkeys, and the kids longing to eat all the food I was showing them. Even though during my year abroad I worked through Thanksgiving, and gave it no second thought, this time, I feel like I was more aware of the date itself. However, just because the day went by without celebration, that didn’t mean that it all went by without any notice. Many of the American assistants in Angers got together and held a Thanksgiving dinner the day after Thanksgiving (we all had to work Thursday/Friday so it made more sense to do it that way). We had to substitute the turkey for chicken and ham (which seems more appropriate for France anyway), but we had mashed potatoes, someone managed to throw together some stuffing (which was quite impressive considering the ingredients at our disposal), vegetables, and even some homemade pumpkin bread! It was such a lovely way to acknowledge the holiday, and to be able to feel slightly less far away from home. 

Once Thanksgiving had come and gone, the only thing on everyone’s mind (or at least, almost everyone’s mind) is Christmas and the holiday break. There are lights all throughout Angers, and I’ll frequently see them on some of my bus rides back into town considering that the sun is setting earlier and earlier at the moment. There’s a Christmas market in the main town square, along with a Ferris wheel and an ice skating “rink” set up, which makes Angers feel very lively. There’s something about lights that make me smile, and long for a nice, hot chocolate. The castle in town is also lit up, and if a medieval castle can get into the spirit of the holidays, it stands to reason that others can as well.

The Christmas market in Angers isn’t a remarkably large market, but it gives the town a certain je ne sais quoi which makes it feel more like home (in a way that can’t really be described because it’s not as if Portland holds an annual Christmas market or as if it’s a long standing tradition in my family). There are homemade goods, food (tartiflette, and crepes galore), vin chaud, and even a merry-go-round all in one area. Not to mention, they blast Christmas music, which tends to be in English ironically, which gives you a bit more of that holiday spirit (yes, I have danced in the streets when Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas is you came on, but honestly, what else was I supposed to do?) I was initially going to check out some Christmas cheer in Paris over a weekend, but due to the unfortunate collision of my weekend and the fourth weekend of gilets jaunes protesting, I had to cancel my quick trip.

What I find baffling (in a way,   although not really) is that all the teachers have asked me to do lessons on Christmas, even though France has laïcité, which is essentially a mandate that there is no religion in school, in any way, shape, or form. Even with that, I told my teachers that I would talk about Christmas in the US, but that I would also be presenting a little bit about Hanukkah, because that’s what I do during the holidays (even though some of them couldn’t seem to grasp initially why I didn’t celebrate Christmas.) The fact that I don’t celebrate Christmas seems to be fairly shocking to many people (I had one student quite frankly exclaim “oh, la pauvre” which essentially translates to “you poor thing”), and most of my students had never heard of Hanukkah before. I decorated my door with a paper menorah (since I don’t have a real one with me), and sincerely wish I had the patience, and time, to make latkes for myself here. 

My schools put up little decorations here and there, one of mine has a full-on tree in one of their doorways, and the children at the other school had to learn Jingle Bells for their school Christmas market. The oncoming celebration of Christmas, however, means that the students have endless energy, and are excited for a break they know is shortly arriving, which can sometimes makes lessons difficult. The last week of lessons consisted mostly of coloring, crossword puzzles, and games (which is something I definitely remember from my childhood but being on the other side, I can 100% see why teachers do it…) The teachers (along with the students) have been bringing chocolate to school, so I can’t complain there, and I got to partake in an end of year lunch at each of my schools (which included alcohol, for one of them IN the building… only in France). The best part though about the approach of Christmas and the holidays is that I get to see my parents when they come to visit (which has been a long countdown for me, let’s be honest). Here’s to the rest of the season and happy holidays to you all!!