Did you know?
A tradition of the people of Colmar is to attach candles to branches of holly and fir trees to ward off evil for the 4 weeks before Christmas making for some spectacular illuminations.
And another thing...
Father Christmas as we know him was inspired by the historical figure of Saint Nicolas, the first recorded person to distribute gifts to German and French children. In some traditional tales he has a partner - Père Fouettard (Bogeyman), who, dressed in black, punishes children who have been bad during the past year. With the evolution of Saint Nicolas into what we call Father Christmas today, le Père Fouettard has disappeared. The celebration of Saint Nicolas takes place in Lorraine and Alsace on 6 December. Tradition goes that children place carrots out for his donkey and leave their shoes out for gifts, as he was known for secret gift-giving like placing coins in shoes. If children are well behaved, they also receive oranges as they were once a highly coveted fruit.
Christmas Traditions of Alsace
Just click on the pictures below to see these lovely properties in northern France