I haven’t been to France in over two years (a toddler and a preschooler on a plane… I wish I were so brave), so many of my photos are older. These are from a Christmas we spent in the French Alps, in a small mountain village called Samoens. A beautiful, charming place, where we stayed in a cozy converted farmhouse, read books (the house had quite an Asterix collection), and indulged in Raclette after days spent on the slopes. It was my first Christmas away from my own family, so I learned of some of the French traditions my husband grew up with. Midnight mass (3 hours! We Presbyterians shudder at the thought), bûche de noel (yule log), and real chestnuts roasting on an open fire served in the village at their Christmas carnival – it was charming and so different from my own traditions. It was here, too, that I first saw Le Père Noel est une Ordure. I sat there, perplexed and not understanding, while my husband, his brothers, and my sister-in-law rocked with laughter and called out lines before the characters. Now that my French is better, as is my understanding of French humor, I find it pretty hilarious, too.
Here’s the charming farmhouse we stayed in, taken before the snow came:
Some photos of Samoens:
Twelfth century church where we attended mass . We sang Angels We Have Heard on High, one of my favorites, in French:
The Alps, near Samoens:
Early morning frost:
A visit to the nearby village of Annecy, with me obviously American in my running shoes:
La Roche sur Foron
And skiing in Alvoriaz:
A French American Life 
These are really beautiful pictures!
Thanks 🙂
I wonder how much snow they have this year. Christmas in the mountains is always wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
I agree – especially the magical Alps. Thank you for reading!
Beautiful photos & great memories. You’ll be back once your kids are a little older!
We absolutely will. When they can sit still for more than 30 seconds 🙂
Great pics! A white Christmas is on our bucket list… yup my aunties took me to mass on my first trip to France aged 9 – made no sense to me and it was loooong… but love how each culture has their own traditions – Merry Christmas and all the best wishes for 2014!
Merry Christmas to you, too! Looking forward to hearing of your next adventures.
I love your pictures! I just pinned another…
Thanks 🙂
Love the pictures! Now I want to head over to the Alps…
Also, I now have Angels We Have Heard On High stuck in my head. Thanks. 😛
I want to head over to the Alps, too 🙂
Ima so Dayummn jealous . . . all our snow melted when it got 62 deg. Now its heading back below zero(F-scale 😛 ) but no snow in the forecast.
Rock On!
We’re without snow here in Colorado, too, and I’m pretty sure Santa is bringing sleds. It will be an exercise in patience for us all, as we wait for snow!