Finding Your Festive Inner-Flâneur

by Gayle Smith Padgett

Christmas in Saint Rémy de Provence.

Ho, ho, ho, as the holiday season approaches, indulging your festive spirit in Provence comes easily. Here in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, strings of twinkly lights and Joyeuses Fêtes banners festoon the narrow lanes and picturesque squares in and around centre-ville. Also, businesses have hopped on board the merry bandwagon with artfully designed window displays, offering a full range of enticing gift ideas, maybe some for your own wish list. All in all, it’s a terrific time to take a wide-eyed wander ‘round this Provençal town in flâneur fashion.

Christmas scenes around Saint Rémy de Provence.

One of the Christmasy items you’ll see right away is the extremely popular Advent calendars, which crowd the shelves in supermarkets and boutiques. Originating in 19^th-century Germany, Lutheran Christians used the calendriers to mark the month-long period leading to Christmas. First printed in the early 1900s, the early calendars were simple affairs, perhaps displaying a small drawing for each day of the four weeks before Christmas. Over the next century, they evolved a great deal. Contemporary versions range widely—from shallow lightweight cardboard affairs the size of a wall calendar, with little flaps hiding a tiny chocolate for each day, to deep shadow box-like versions filled with twenty-four tiny “doors” that hide pint-sized treasures. And those treats may be sweet or savory edibles, teas, or even fancy creams and soaps.

Bremond & Fils advent calender.

For example, take the one that Bremond & Fils offers. It includes lavender soap, ultra-rich hand cream, and a variety of gourmet offerings, like herbed salts and tapenades. At Florame, the organic beauty institute, you can find an Advent calendar filled with herbal teas and at Bon Café,  the surprises are artisanal chocolates.

Advent calender at Bon Café.

On Place Pellissier, you’ll find several cafes and shops installing intriguing decorations like Chez Mamine, Tendances, and Le Beau Bar, as well as the jeweler Ferrani. And just around the corner, Le Ruban de Senteurs promotes L’Esprit de Noël—and its lovely scented products—with pint-sized Christmas trees, Santa and a commanding nutcracker.

Though a bit nippy, don’t dismiss evening wanderings when the town shimmers and twinkles, magically boosting holiday spirits. Here’s to Joyeuses Fêtes de Fin d’Année!

Gayle Smith Padgett is the author of Passion for Provence: 22 Keys to La Belle Vie and The Birdwatcher’s Wife: A Quest across France for Birds and La Belle Vie. Her third memoir, Pleasures of Provence, is coming soon. Learn more on Gayle’s author page.