Luckily, many of the things I associate with Christmas and wintertime are also common in the south of France. For example eating huge amounts of raclette cheese and fondue and there is a good selection of rôti farci for the festive dinner. The things I find hard to get are fancy Advent calendars.
The supermarkets only stock very few compared to how many they have in German shops, and they mostly only contain chocolate. But of course Amazon delivers even to rural homes and I’ve done a big search for the best French-inspired Advent calendars.
Here’s what I found in my French Advent calendar research:
Bonne Maman: You will have the chance to taste 24 different marmelades and other products of this brand in a very cute display. My favorite product is also part of the calendar, noisettes et cacao.
Saucisson Artisanaux made in France: With 84 mini sausages and 3 bigger ones with olive, nut, truffel and other flavors, this calendar might be my favorite. You could of course easily make one of those yourself. Drop by your local butcher for the different saussages and buy an empty calender, for example these paper bags with festive design, and fill them up.
Whine Advent Calendar: About 190 ml of white, red or sparkling wine every day for you to enjoy. The majority comes from France, but there are also some from Spain and Sicily. If you’re a true wine lover, you might enjoy the very exclusive version featuring 12 French wines and 12 varieties from around the world, packaged with a booklet for your tasting notes.
Tea Advent Calendar: For all the tea lovers there are 24 different varieties of loose-leave tea to taste. Each tea comes in a tiny glass jar and looks very elegant. It’s not really French, but the fact that it’s zero calories is quite compelling.
Vitakraft for your cat. If you live in France the chance you got adopted by a cat is very high (see “my” cat below) and of course our pets have to join the fun! There is a dog version too.
L’Oréal Paris: Elegant beauty products for hair and skin. A bit pricey, but beautifully packaged in a festive Christmas design.
Lindt – CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES: Little pralines hidden in a Champs-Elysees design.
Cheese: 24 cheeses handpicked by Rodolphe Le Meunier, awarded Best International Cheesemonger. The concept is great, though the packaging isn’t particularly festive and since you can see all the cheeses from the start, it’s ideal for anyone who prefers no surprises.
If I were a cheese seller in France, I would sell a Cheese Advent Calendar at the market. 24 small pieces of cheese wrapped in white paper with Christmas decorations and a numbered sticker on each one.
Maybe there could be an option to collect the packages for the following seven days each week on market day, to keep everything fresh. But most of the cheeses would be fine for the full 24 days anyway.
One day I’ll make one of these for myself. I’m just afraid the cheesemonger might get annoyed with me for buying only tiny pieces of cheese for this little project, but I’ll let you know!
This article contains Amazon Affiliate Links.