What growing up in Provence taught me about the holidays
It is common knowledge in France that the closer you get to the Mediterranean, the slower life becomes. Provence, in my opinion, is the epitome of the slow life.
This is a cute stock photo but really it could have been me :) credits: Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash
Living in Provence all the way through my mid-twenties, I never felt a sense of frenzy during the holidays. Quite the opposite actually. With shorter daylight, we tended to slow down even more as we spent more time inside.
And that time inside was spent together as a family, reading on the couch, watching old movies, having afternoon tea, making crêpes or other treats for the afternoon snack. I remember being bored at times, or wondering if I should be doing more (that’s the over-achiever in me!) but in hindsight, these moments taught me a lot. They were simple moments that celebrated the little pleasures of life.
Today I share with you three lessons I learned from growing up in Provence.
Lesson 1: Find the little things that bring you joy.
As the saying goes, “la vie est faite de petits bonheurs.” Life is made of little joys.
One of my happiest memories as a kid and young adult was to eat chestnuts at home during the dark nights of November and December. Almost every Sunday, we would bake them in the oven and around 6pm, we would gather at the kitchen table and eat them one by one, until our thumbs hurt from peeling them! Because chestnuts are so filling, that was actually our dinner. And this weekly tradition was pure joy for me.
I cherish these memories so much that I now carry this autumn ritual into my American life. I don’t know if my husband is really fond of chestnuts but he plays the game anyway (though I probably end up eating most of it). I cannot wait to share this tradition with my daughter this year, I hope she’ll love chestnuts too!
photo credit: Emre on Unsplash
Lesson 2: It’s not about quantity.
I come from a French middle-class family with a stay-at-home, dedicated mother and a blue collar, hard-working father. My parents didn’t have a lot of means yet they knew how to make Christmas special. All I can remember today is that I was spoiled every single year! You know why? Even if I’d only get five gifts max, my mom (she was the one doing all the shopping) would always pick the ones I wanted the most!
Today, I am so grateful that my parents (and the rest of my family) never went over board with presents. At the end of the day, do you remember all the gifts you received in your childhood? Absolutely not. But perhaps a few that were very special to you. Now a mom myself, I want to transmit the same values to my daughter. Less is more.
Now I’d better tune in carefully to figure out what the most special gift should be for her this year!
Lesson 3: Memories are made when we are fully present.
I’ll be honest, I sometimes wonder if I have amnesia as I don’t have a huge recollection of my childhood and teenage years. However, my mother has the best memory and she always bring up some stories from my brother’s and my youth. So we would gather at the table at night (for chestnuts or soup) and talk about those stories. And these are the memories that I cherish today. Because we were there, fully present, listening to each other and making each other laugh.
There are so many distractions with technology nowadays that we tend to forget that all we have is now and those around us. Let’s make the most of it!
How did you celebrate the holidays growing up? What traditions are you keeping as adults? I’d love to read your stories.