Merry Christmas everybody!!! I hope you all had an absolutely fantastic day! Here is a little run through of what my Christmas Eve night and Christmas day looked like.
Christmas Eve night I attended a Christmas mass service in a near by town called Mordelles. It was an the most gorgeous old church wit huge vaulted ceilings, intricate carving and beautiful stained glass windows. It was the local town church and it was probably twice the size of the Cathedral in Darwin! I understood most of the mass but I still spent a fair part of my time examining every inch of incredible architecture and carvings.
After the service we headed home for an extensive Christmas Eve dinner. It began with Scollops in a creamy herb sauce. Which was then followed by duck, artichoke and truffle crème brûlée and potato balls. After that we headed onto cheeses. And last but not least we had a delicious caramel and pecan ice-cream log. Throughout the evening I drank 2 Panach', a combination of beer and lemonade. They taste surprisingly good! (I forgot to take photos of everything. Sorry guys!)
After dinner I had a fantastic FaceTime with my family. I had missed the present opening but both my sisters showed me their haul and I got to wish everyone luck for the big family lunch Mausie was hosting at her house. It was lovely to see and speak to them again and it really got me into the Christmas spirit! After putting my presents under the Christmas tree (a real pine one!) I headed of to bed.
I woke up to the sound of Black Mambo blasting from my phone as an alarm to get me out of bed and FaceTime everybody in Melbourne. You'll be happy to know that I did moan and groan as I got out of bed. In fact, I threw off the covers, jumped out of bed and ran to my phone to shut it up before it woke up everyone all the way to Paris. I then proceeded to tame my bed hair and throw on a jumper before setting myself up in front of my computer ready to wish everyone Merry Christmas. It was the most incredible experience being able to see everyone I love again. Even though I mainly just waved and smiled because it was to noisy to hear me, just seeing them smile back made me swell with happiness. One of my favourite moments was when my cousin Renata showed of her awesome Christmas cardigan. Another is Bridget and I having a good old giggle over a silly book she got for Christmas. Seeing Fiona in her gorgeous Sari from India. Seeing my cousin Kevin again and discovering that he now has a quite hilarious beard. Seeing Emma in her amazing purple velvet dress. Watching Phoebe as she attempted to ride my little cousin's tiny electric bike. I have so many amazing memories and so many incredible relatives! It was so wonderful to see you all again and I can't wait until next year when I get to see everyone in person! Love you all so much!!! It was the most amazing start to my Christmas and made me feel so loved and special!
After my amazing FaceTime it was time to open presents. Céline, Sebastien, Lisa and Chloe had got me Asterix comics, Lindt dark chocolates (YES!) and best of all a trip to the local bakery to help make bread and pastries!!! I was so excited that I couldn't find the words to thank them (more than usual that is). It's a dream come true and I'm so lucky! It's going to be awesome! Also received some other little pressies from my beautiful family. Mum, Dad, Bridget and Phoebe had sent me a little package of Australian lollies. I scored sour squirms, Darrell Lea Liquorice Bullets (the best kind!) and some very fancy Adriano Zumbo salted caramel TimTams. In the parcel there was also the most wonderful card from Phoebe! (I have attached a picture below. Shhhh.... Don't tell Bridget!)
After present opening, we had Pain Aux Choclat's which we dipped in bowls of hot chocolate. We then proceeded to get the house ready for Christmas lunch. I didn't help much with the cooking but I did make mini smoked salmon croissants. They were really yummy and I will definitely have to make them again!
For lunch we had Celine's mother and brother with his wife and 2 daughters come around for lunch. Both gave me boxes of chocolates which was very thoughtful of them and was much appreciated. Christmas lunch was an extravagant 4hr 5 course ordeal. It began with a selection of staters varying from my croissants to bread with pâté. That was followed by fresh seafood. There were oysters, prawns, lobster like things and 2 different types of sea snail. I tried both types of sea sail and the oysters. None of them rocked my boat. 3rd course was roast chicken like thing with chestnuts, apples and potatoes. After that we had cheeses and salad. I tried a fluffy black mouldy goats cheese and blue cheese. Both were nice but I couldn't get over the fluffiness of the goats cheese. And last but not least we had the most delicious christmas cakes. They were bought for the local bakery and were the most delicious things I have ever tasted. One was chocolate and the other was strawberry and they were composed of different layers of mousse on a biscuit base. It would have to be one of the best christmas desserts I have eaten in my life!
After lunch everyone, except the girls and I, went to look at Celine and Sebastien's caravan. I accidentally feel asleep on my be while they were gone. When I woke up they had all (including the girls) gone out to a Christmas fair in Rennes. I used my time to get started on the book the Secret River for school and eat some liquorice bullets. It was very nice to have some quite down time.
All in all I had an incredible french Christmas! It is a day that will stay with me for the rest of my life! (Here are some pictures of all my chocolates and lollies!)