Lack of xmas spirit?

[Val_2]

I thought I was imagining it but no, several other folks have also mentioned the fact that this year,  the christmas spirit seems to be lacking here in France where spending money is concerned. Seems people are more worried about the new year to come and what their salaries will afford them. In LeClerc this morning, the lack of shoppers was distinctly noticeable and being nosey, I noticed too, not a lot of treats for xmas either in the trolleys around me at the till. My daughter has worked both the last two xmas holidays in the big supermarket but this year they say they havn't enough custom to take on extra staff when she phoned this morning to see if there were any vacancies. A sign of the times perhaps?

[opas]

Perhaps folks are taking advantge of Sunday opening and the offers that go with them. I shopped at Leclerc last sunday, to buy toys at 50% off, DVDs at 20% off and Smoked salmon and frozen fish at 25% off is not to be missed. Judging by the other shoppers , these were the main target areas....the main food department was practically void of shoppers.

Mrs O

[Will]

There doesn't seem to be much of a Christmas rush on in most of the shops here, though it can get a bit annoying for some customers when the cashier keeps going off to individually gift wrap each box of chocolates in a trolley while the queues build up. It's a different story in the tat shop (known as Michigan for some unaccountable reason), where the locals have been falling over themselves to get their hands on the cheapest, tackiest flashing musical decorations possible. Even during the special Sunday opening. [:)]

[Liz]

I'm not suprised there is a lack of Christmas Spirit.  I've just been in the Hypermarket and one of the big garden centres.  They both had the most dreadful muzzak playing - of the jingle bell rock variety - all in English/American of course.  It's enough to make anyone say Bah! Humbug! Translate that into French if you can!  I'm off to dear old Blighty where I can have a really good festive time in Tescos.  I hear there is a satsuma shortage - I think I'll take some with me - on the other hand there's nothing quite like a bit of British panic buying [:D]

Liz

[Russethouse]

[quote user="Liz"]

I'm not surprised there is a lack of Christmas Spirit.  I've just been in the Hypermarket and one of the big garden centres.  They both had the most dreadful muzzak playing - of the jingle bell rock variety - all in English/American of course.  It's enough to make anyone say Bah! Humbug! Translate that into French if you can!  I'm off to dear old Blighty where I can have a really good festive time in Tescos.  I hear there is a satsuma shortage - I think I'll take some with me - on the other hand there's nothing quite like a bit of British panic buying [:D]

Liz

[/quote]

Plenty of Satsumas in our local Tesco, just come back from what is usually a pre Christmas nightmare shop and found the shop busy, but not overly so. Don't forget we have 3 more trading days yet and many shops seem to be opening on Tuesday.........for the Sale .........I think people are probably more aware that you get better value by waiting, plus the influence of on line shopping, both in grocery and elsewhere.

[Richard-R]

This is now the 3rd year running that I have done all my xmas gift shopping online.

I also order specalists foods online and use Carrefour only for the basics.

A trend that is catching on more and more in France.

[Loiseau]

Yes, I was going to cite the possibility that many people are doing their shopping on-line this year.

I have just had a few days in the Pas de Calais and Somme.
There was a large Christmas market in several of the streets in Amiens.  Loads of people around, but they didn't seem to be buying, except from the stalls that were selling food products - specially the ones you could eat on the hoof like crepes. (Talking of Amiens, try and get to the fantastic illuminations on the cathedral front; they're on till 6 Jan, at 7pm daily. Magic!)

My goodness, though, there are some OTT Christmas decorations around on the streets and in the villages.  If I see another witty (NOT) wall-climbing Santa dangling from a gutter I'll scream!!! 

Angela

[Graham & Brenda]

Funny you should mention lack of Christmas spirit. We drove into Cognac this morning and we both noticed that less houses seemed to have decorations this year. I don't just mean flashy lights but also the little fake presents etc. hanging on the railings.

Auchan was quiet too but that's why we shop in the morning, it's always busier after lunch.

Finally, not "spirit" but  Biere de Noel. Our local Netto says it's due in next week! Super U have none but Auchan did thank goodness as the visiting family members really enjoyed it last year.

 

[Tony F Dordogne]

We were working in Rouen last week and that seemed full of the Xmas spirit.  Lots of Xmas things going on, Marche de Noel around the wonderfully illuminated Cathedral, masses of people.  We also visited a couple of other much smaller towns and there was hardly anything there, especially Bolbec which was like visiting Stockton on Tees on a miserable winter's night.

And back in 24, LeClerc at Perigueux was busy on Monday morning as was Jardiland but the town itself seemed very quiet.

Pleased to be back in the Dordogne though, after a week in Rouen the number of people, noise etc just seemed too much.

[Miki]

Pleased to be back in the Dordogne though, after a week in Rouen the number of people, noise etc just seemed too much.

Not like Sarlat in summer then Tony !! Just as easy to find quiet

towns around Rouen as in the Doo Don ! but easier to find life at times ......[:D]

Completely opposite around here to what some others have said. The 3

main towns near us have excellent new lights and decorations, with

cotchels of Father Xmas's in variable positions.

Luvvly jubbly, Xmas is back, lots of laughs, lots of chat, friends and

family, few drinks, Noddy Holder on the jukebox.......... lose a few

bob on the gee gees, snooze on the sofa, quick shower and it's party

time again !!

Joyeux Noël à tous.

[Tony F Dordogne]

Sarlat in the summer is best avoided as you know  Miki - well at least on a Saturday which is market day in July or August, we went there with my son and d-i-l this summer, in July, nightmare.

So we found an appropriate restaurant facing the Cathedral (Le Bistrot, which is ALWAYS excellent and reasonably priced by the way) and spent a long leasurely lunch people watching.

In the afternoon, many fewer people and the market stays open all day.

[Coco]

I'm with Miki.  Never seen so many Christmas goods, or people shopping, as in our local Champion this year.  Also agree with Angela about those really, REALLY naff Father Christmases.  I don't see the point, they don't light up so can't be seen at night and they just look so pathetic hanging off gutters in the clear light of day.  Our local village has gone very chic for rural France this year; gone are the garish decorations and they have been replaced by Knightbridge style white lights in all the trees.  Very pretty.

[SaligoBay]

I reckon there's been a bulk buy of the tasteful white lights in France!    Montpellier Agglo is dripping with them. 

Huge HyperU was quiet yesterday, but Montpellier city centre is absolutely heaving.  Apparently not quite as shoulder-to-shoulder as Southampton, but not far off it.

Nice and sunny tho, and my favourite fiddlers are out busking in La Comédie every day.  The old one still has his brown camel coat, pot belly, and straggly greasy hair, but oh boy, can he play that fiddle.   Joy in great profundity.

May you all find your own fiddlers.  [:)]

 

[Will]

For the benefit of those in other parts of France, the Normandy, Mayenne and Eastern Brittany French Christmas spirit seems to have shifted from buying up food shops and supermarkets to decorating the communes. The decorations range from the tasteful, through the idiosyncratic to the downright tacky. The whole thing sems to bring out a rather exaggerated competitive spirit, not just between communes but between individual householders and businesses. What started as a few communes making a bit of an effort, and organising something of a festival, has spread to wall-to-wall Christmas lights, and even evening coach tours round certain areas to look at the illuminations. We know, we were out among them yesterday evening. Beauchêne, St-Mars-d'Egrenne and Mantilly (in 61) are three of the more extreme examples.

[Iceni]

The bright lights celebrating 2006 in St Cere (north 46) are truly fabulous this year. All the small towns ( modest villages by UK standards) have their ususal array of lights but nothing particularly striking - that is reserved for some of the houses !! And I thought that the US of A lead the the world in tacky and tasteless.

As regards shopping ? Di and I do not celebrate the Winter Solstice so continue to be amazed at the ways that others appear to squander their money - but that's up to them. Visited one of the local Leclerc stores on Thursday evening (30% off Scotch) and surprised at so few customers, it was almost empty. Yesterday another Leclerc was solidly packed - shades of Tesco with overloaded trolleys at every corner. Though in true French style there were short queues at the tills due to most of the customers standing chatting.

I dread to think what today will be like but I will steer clear of all shops except the bakery - how dare they close on a Sunday morning. 

Seasonal greetings to those who believe in such things and may all your dreams come true next year.

John

and

[vindaloo]

I'm not convinced there is a lack of Christmas spirit but there was no Brussels sprouts at LeClerc.

[Teamedup]

But are there usually brussel sprouts in Leclerc, they are not a veggie that I usually see and even when I see them always smell them first as sometimes they literally stink. Donc, I don't buy them very often at all.