A Country French Christmas

I am so excited because it’s the last Sunday in the month…time for our Country French Design Group to share…and this time the subject is Christmas! I love that mixture…my favorite style with one of my favorite holidays! And believe it or not, it’s not hard or expensive to give a Country French flavor to your Christmas décor!



It only takes a few little touches to get my vintage Quimper collection all dressed up for Christmas…a few well-placed candles and bits of greenery, an easy-to-make and inexpensive wreath…

…a few ornaments here and there to add to the holiday feeling…

…and my favorite finds from the Christmas market in Strasbourg, France …reminders of a wonderful holiday spent with friends! You can get a closer look at my Christmas-y Quimper collection here.

I always have a little frenchy Christmas vignette greeting my friends at my door…this time a little chalkboard-painted silver tray and a tiny forest of bottle brush trees.

And I love to scatter more French Christmas greetings around the house…such as this no-sew Ballard inspired Joyeux Noël pillow…

…or these little handmade tea towels…no embroidery skills required! You can see how I made them here.

And this year I added these French sheet music Christmas candles to my holiday decorations! I love the rustic look and the texture!

I am still working on this year’s mantel, but here’s one of my favorites from Christmas past…starring French ticking and burlap!

And another favorite is already added to this year’s table top tree…my DIY grain sack ornaments! You will find the tutorial here.

And sometimes things just look French to me, without necessarily being French…like my vintage sheet music decorations…

…or my Wisteria inspired sheet music candles. They are super-easy and inexpensive to make…and I even provide the graphics for you!

But my absolute favorite Country French touch at Christmas is the crèche that I brought back from the South of France several years ago! It is all handmade and hand-painted by local artisans. You may notice that it includes a few visitors that you do not recognize.

That's because it is the custom in southern France to add santons  to the nativity scene. They are traditional figures that represent the local people, such as this pretty Niçoise, or woman from Nice, who is wearing the traditional dress of that region.

One of my favorites is le Ravi…the man with upraised arms in the background. He is the first villager to see the Baby Jesus and is proclaiming the news to the rest of the village. He is considered an essential part of any Provençal crèche. I also love the shepherd, called le Mistral for the very strong wind that blows in Provence. See how he is holding on to his hat? You can get a closer look at my crèche and more information about santons by clicking here.

Baby Kitty says he hopes you have found a few tips for adding Country French style to your Christmas décor! And just in case you missed any of my posts on previous topics in our Country French Design series, here they are…

My Favorite Tips for Adding Country French Style

Collecting…Country French Style

Country French Style…My Vintage French Favorites

Dining Outdoors…French Style

Decorating with Country French Fabrics

Using Vintage Silver in Country French Décor

How to Give a Chair Country French Style

Baskets…Country French Style

 

Also head on over to visit these beautiful blogs from my very talented fellow Francophiles to see the wonderful Country French Christmas ideas they have to share with you!






Thanks for stopping by! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants. 

Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party , Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday , Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday , The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday , Coastal Charm for the Show and Share Party , A Stroll thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Inspire Me Monday, Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays ,   French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday , Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays , The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday , Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday

See you next time! À la prochaine!

Also find me at…

 

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