Our energies went into the Christmas Eve dinner -- le réveillon -- more than into buying presents this year. We had fresh oysters from the Oléron which Chris managed to open; he had seen a kids' show in French about oysters and knew the difference between the American and French methods of opening, but could not do it the French way (along the side) without crumbling the shell. I could not do it at all. So I stood by and squeezed on the lemon and ate.
The children were wonderfully horrified that we were eating living creatures right before their very eyes.
The Christmas turkey, raised on a nearby farm, was unlike any turkey we had ever seen -- sleek, slender, you could even say chic, compared to the Vegas showgirls from back home. Its head was tucked up under one wing. It was unmistakeably a bird. It took only a couple of hours to roast and was stunningly good.
We had mashed potatoes with crème fraîche, broccoli amandine, and coquilles St. Jacques made by the butcher. Waiting in the garage where it was cool, a bûche de Noël with a snowman, two meringue mushrooms, a tree, and a disc of chocolate to fight over.
My favorite presents of all were the little Astèrix figures we found for the kids' stockings -- Assurancetorix, the singer who can't sing, is tied up and gagged; the fishmonger is holding a fish behind his back ready for a fight; even a menhir with a red bow and "O + F" in a heart carved in the side. Astèrix is the best comic ever. Today we've played "Clue" in French, worked on a gigantic jigsaw puzzle, flown Julian's remote-controlled plane all over the yard, and eaten lots of leftovers.
Now it's time to start planning le réveillon for New Year's.
