Christmas Eve in Lyon

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! We had our big family celebration this evening (all three of us). Tomorrow, we’ll eat leftovers and charcuterie.

(It does not suck to be me right about now).

Lilian is still feeling sick, and even Kristian is a bit sniffly. Everyone please keep crossing your fingers and toes that I stay healthy. With 2/3 of the family feeling under the weather, we laid pretty low today. I caught up on some of my reading and had a nap. Lilian’s big outing was to the grocery store to buy a last minute gift (a squeaky toy for Lumi). Kristian finished cooking up a feast, because that’s what Kristian does.

We couldn’t agree on a Christmas movie to watch as a family (it’s usually Die Hard, but I couldn’t bring myself to watch it without sushi, as per family tradition). We took a chance on Love Hard (which I’d already seen). The verdict? Lilian thought it was “funny but cringe” and Kristian basically stopped paying attention to it. For the record, this is pretty much what I thought was going to happen. Nobody but me wanted to watch The Holiday. I don’t know where I went wrong as a parent, but here we are.

We had a movie snack of glögg and roasted chestnuts, because, eff it, it’s Christmas, let’s be fancy.

Funny story about glögg. My mother-in-law used to make it with real wine (Kristian used fruit juice today). She’d leave it on the stove to cook, forget about it, say “oh no! I cooked off all the alcohol!” and then add a ton of vodka to it. Kristian warned me about this, but apparently I didn’t take his warnings to heart. She always served in these cute little crystal cups that looked so tiny and innocent. Except, she’d keep topping you up, because she was that kind of hostess. My first Christmas with my in-laws, I lost track of how much I’d had. And there was enough vodka in them, that I was basically sipping on shots. Yeah, Kristian had to make my dinner plate for me.

This year, I served my own food like a grownup who had a responsible amount of non-alcoholic glögg. We had our traditional Christmas Eve meal of ham, meatballs, scalloped potatoes, rutabaga casserole, and green beans. Kristian and I had a tiny bottle of (real) champagne, and Lilian had sparkling cider.

(Of all the things that tend to be cheaper here, I think my three favorites are: healthcare, fresh produce, and wine).

(Not necessarily in that order).

After dinner, Kristian and I took Lumi for a walk around the city (Lilian wasn’t feeling up for it). It was eerily quiet… except for all of the church bell’s in the city, which were all ringing. Kristian says that he’s walked the dog after midnight on a weekday and it’s never this quiet. We really enjoyed the peace! I also enjoyed the fact that everyone who walked by us actually said “bon soir.”

(The French do not, as a rule, talk to strangers in the street).

(Unless you have a cute dog).

(In which case they will have an entire conversation with your dog).

(Sometimes they might ask you a question).

(About your dog).

It’s hovered around 50 degrees since I’ve been back (that’s 10 in non-Freedom Units™?). But tonight, it actually got cold enough for a little snow! The littlest of little snows. But, hey, I saw upwards of 50 snowflakes. That totally counts as a white Christmas, right?

Kristian and I walked over to the Rhône and then along the riverbank. It was a little windy, but not unpleasant. We admired the Fourvière Basilica all lit up, and caught a glimpse of one of the skyscrapers that has LEDs on it that are arranged to look a little bit like a Christmas tree.

After our walk, it was time to eat the Bûche de Noël. Kristian made a special trip to get one this morning. He waited in line and everything. Ours wasn’t a swiss roll, it was more of a mousse with a cake base and core. But, it sure was delicious! Even the little chocolate decorations were scrumptious.

After dessert, we let Liian open one present. We all got a little misty-eyed, because it was a gift from a friend back home with a really sweet note inside. She was just telling me this morning how happy she is to have made so many friends here… but she still misses all of her friends in the US. I do too!

All in all, it was a really lovely day. It was quieter than we’re used to, but I was so grateful to be here with my little family. Here’s wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or just a warm hug and something tasty to eat and drink.