Creche - A creche is a French word for manger or crib. Most French families enjoy two creches.
The Christmas tree has never been popular in France, and though the use of the Yule log has gone down, the French make a traditional Yule log-shaped cake called the buche de Noel, which means "Christmas Log."
Christmas Eve is when the children put their shoes or sabots, wooden clogs, by the fire place for gifts to be placed in them. They believe that Father Christmas, or Pere Noel, will come and fill their shoes with presents while they are asleep on Christmas Eve.
At midnight, on Christmas Eve, the grown-ups attend a special Mass. Afterwards, a late supper is served to adults. The children go to bed early to dream of their Christmas miracle.
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