The Twelve Days of Christmas, Three French Hens

Day Three of The Twelve Days of Christmas

 On the third day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

I'm continuing my series on The Twelve Days of Christmas. As I've shared previously, Brian McLaren pushed me to ponder how I might put the Twelve Days of Christmas into action. Today, the third day of Christmas, three french hens are hard to find, but I'm exploring French traditions. It's cultural awareness, meets fire and baking, with some pondering in the mix. I'm exploring ideas and heading towards Epiphany with intentionality.

To begin, let's explore the French version of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Many believe, "the French folk song "La Perdriole" ("The Partridge") is a cumulative song with the same kind of lyrics and a similar (but slightly different) melody." (Wikipedia) Is La Perdriole the song that inspired the song?

As for baking, the French incorporate Buche de Noel into their Christmas traditions. This delightful pastry is often mistaken for the Yule Log. In fact if you do a search on yule logs, you will find Buche de Noel, but they are different. See below.

It would be very easy to make the above Saveur version gluten free/cream free by using coconut cream in place of the cows cream. We are going to give a gf/cream free version an attempt this week.

Give baked goods away this week? Post Christmas baking sounds less stressful and like a whole lot of fun!

For the baking challenged:

Beginning with the Celts, the Yule Log was traditionally burned to welcome the sun back to earth, and then later in the Middle Ages, to cure people of illness and drive evil away.

The French carried on the tradition of burning a special Yule Log, until it was eventually replaced with the Buche de Noel, as gas stoves replaced the fireplace. The Yule Log worked its way to the table as the sweet Buche de Noel, surrounded by evergreen boughs.

When the kids were very young, I used to decorate a special log and place it by our gas fireplace, but we've not done this for years. I'm thinking we need to revive the tradition and place a special log to burn in our wood stove.  The walking/hunting time to find a yule log, and the calm fire time, can be used to discuss what spirits we want to fuel our home in the new year. Out with New Year's resolutions (which we've never done anyway) and in with a long family walk to discuss what matters most in the new year!

We are praying for the spirits of love, joy, peace, and patience, amongst others. As we endeavor in God this new year, we are asking for His Spirit to come without limit into our home, just as He's promised.John 3:34-36 MSG.

I'm also reminded of the need for wood by many. In rural areas, many still fuel their homes with wood, like us! Someone always needs wood. March is a good time to give wood away. Wood piles run low, and winter is not yet over. Have extra wood? Share some. Better yet, next summer or fall, order a cord of wood for someone in need. 

Photo from Shannon Berrey

Many French families display a creche in their home.  They also personalize their family creche with santons, or "little saints" that represent the people of their village. I love the idea of personalizing one's nativity to one's own home and village. 

Visit the Santon Festival in Marseille next Christmas? If not, here's two lovely options in Oregon: The Corvallis Nativity Festival and The Grotto. We were awed by the nativities from around the world at the Corvallis Festival. There were at least 200 creches from around the world. The kids were enthralled.

Or, begin a personalized creche/santons tradition in your home. We have several nativities, but none are personalized. I'm thinking about how we might make the manger more personal. With little kids, you might make your own nativity kit. I prefer clay or ceramic. Hmmm.... Maybe, I'll approach a local art center about helping us create some figurines in 2015.

Last night, we finished Richard Peck's, Season of Gifts. It's a slice of Christmas cheer set in rural America, but the overall message is that the best gifts are given throughout the year. Sister also started Jan Karon's Mitford series this Advent. She began with Shepherd's Abiding.

Shepherd's Abiding and the St Paul Christmas video have me pondering how we might bring the nativity alive next year. I'm thinking of a one minute nativity randomly performed throughout town. Now, just to rope another family or two into the process!

While, I love the idea of "elves for the twelves" in this series, especially for the kids, it's just not working for me. Maybe elves for twelves is a series for next year, or a stand alone story. I think the latter. For now, I'm going to stick with finding fresh ways to live out The Twelve Days of Christmas. 

Not exactly three french hens, but who can resist this kid? 

Spring chicks will arrive before we know it.