how to do a half french-half austrian christmas...

N°1 - The Advent wreath
Very important! People who have stayed in Sweden will probably already know the tradition of lighting one candle each Sonday of Advent, until all four of them are burning on Christmas Eve. The only difference to Austria is that here, we don't put them in a row, but in a circle...


N°2 - The Christmas tree

Also very important! It's crucial to find a true fir-tree, not a spruce, if you don't want to constantly sting yourself during the hours of decoration (also, the smell is different, and fir trees tend to keep their needles longer). Decorate with real candles, if you know what good taste is! Put the presents under the tree if you are a grown up; and if you are a child, you wait for the Christkind (Baby-Christ) to do it...

N° 3 - The Food

Crucial, since both French and Austrian people are known to be unable to resist Lucullian delights... Some families have a traditional Christmas menu; we prefer to make up our minds anew each year. We try to put some dishes from every culture, which is a bit of a tightrope-walk, but it always works out well.

N° 3 a) The Starter

This year: Vegetable mousse with shrimps and a sauce of white wine (Susa rediscovered her Photoshop and overdid it, as you can see...)

N° 3 b) The Main Course

This year: Venison-ragout, red cabbage with chestnuts and dumplings and black-currant jam to eat in little portions with the meat. When I read what I just wrote, I can't help but feeling disgusted myself, but it's actually one of the finest dishes you can get (and I know some people out there who can attest to my good taste! *grmpf*)...

N° 3 c) La Bûche

The only course that must not change! The Bûche is a traditional French Christmas dessert in the form of a freshly cut tree-trunk. There are several ways to make it, but in our case (which is the "real" one, of course...) you prepare a delicious chunk of biscuit, butter, nuts, coffee and liquor...

Then, using all your physical force, you try to shape this lump in the form of a tree trunk. Demonstration by my mom, the expert-Bûche-producer (also, she made an effort to look really French):


A ton of chocolate and half an hour of patient fork-work later, the tree is almost perfect....


Finally, you put some artificial snow in form of sugar and simply eat it!

And then, all you have to do, is drink some coffee and marvel at your presents over and over again...