A New Year and then an Epiphany

While Jesse and I still have yet to keep the kids up until midnight on New Year's Eve, we made a little more of the event this year than previously. We made crêpes on the evening of the 31st (which I'm thinking might be nice to keep as a future tradition) and then we spent time looking back on 2014 together as a family. I thought you—well, okay, mostly just the grandmothers!—might enjoy the responses given to the questions we posed around the table.

Favorite experiences of 2014
William: going to Tivoli Gardens (amusement park) in Copenhagen; catching three fish with Nannan and Papa last summer in New Hampshire
Josiah: the Copenhagen Aquarium and Tivoli; seeing the Eiffel Tower
Krista: pizza on a perfect evening under the Eiffel Tower; watching Daddy haggle in Fez; the many handmade birthday gifts I received from the boys in November
Jesse: Gaileys' party in San Diego last January; the Eiffel Tower (clearly that was a magical evening since three of us listed it!); shopping in the Moroccan souks

Biggest accomplishments of 2014
William: learning some French
Josiah: doing a high ropes course with his cousins in England in August; branching away from Lego instruction books to make his own original Lego creations this fall/winter
Krista: moving to France and navigating daily life here
Jesse: taking on leadership of the finance department at HOPE on top of previous responsibilities; getting to France and surviving!

Hardest parts of 2014
William: going to school every day
Josiah: doing spelling tests and learning French poems
Krista: being so unwell much of the spring; ending the year with head lice from Mr. William Boy!!
Jesse: not being able to communicate in France

 

The next day, on the 1st, we celebrated the arrival of the new year over dinner with homemade confetti poppers and fizzy apple juice, and we followed up the previous night's conversation by talking about goals for 2015. William reported that something new he wants to try in 2015 is learning to read Pete the Cat all by himself (a reader he was given for Christmas), something he wants to stop doing is wearing a diaper at night and liking candy and screens so much, and something he wants to get better at is running fast and playing basketball and baseball. For the record, William first asked whether "going to school" could be on his "something to stop" list.  :)  

Josiah reported that something new he wants to try is parachuting (?!?), something he wants to stop is spending his pocket money so quickly, and something he wants to get better at is playing basketball and being a stopper. In our home, we talk about being a "stopper" when arguments are escalating, by the way.

Predictably, Jesse and I have goals revolving around speaking French better and improved healthy living habits.

*  *  *  

The arrival of January 1 usually marks the end of Christmas and the broader holiday season, bringing with it the depressing prospect of a few dark, somewhat uninspiring months. It was very pleasant indeed for us to learn that Epiphany (January 6) is traditionally celebrated here in France, extending the festivities at least a little longer!

The boys had school as usual and Jesse and I had work to accomplish through the day, so dinnertime was when we celebrated. I made a big meal, we ate by candlelight, and then we read and talked about the Magi. We've been doing the candles at dinner most evenings for the past month or two, by the way. The boys ask for it even when I forget...and, bonus, the dimmer the lights, the less they notice offensive items (ewww! mushrooms!) hidden in the meal...  :)  After dinner we brought out the galette des trois rois, the three kings cake. They boys were so psyched! I had majorly splurged by buying this at the patisserie. The important thing to know about the galette is that it hides a tiny ceramic or porcelain fève. The word means "bean," and traditionally/historically a bean or almond was baked into the cake; today it's usually a tiny figurine instead. Whoever finds the fève in his or her portion is king or queen for the balance of the day.

We followed the fun tradition of having the youngest child (you know who, in our case) go underneath the table to call out the name of a person at the table as I cut each slice. At least one reason for this tradition is, apparently, to keep the antsiest, most eager little persons from poking into the galette and trying to spy the fève. Since finding it is a Very Exciting Prospect Indeed, keeping distribution as fair as possible is key!

As it turns out, Mommy was the lucky fève discoverer, a little dragon in our case. I considered it just recompense since from the first forkful I discovered I couldn't eat the galette. I knew they were usually made with almonds, so at the patisserie I'd asked whether they might have any almond-free options, explaining I was highly allergic to almonds, almond flour, almond paste, everything. The owner showed several options, and I chose a tempting pear-chocolate candidate. In retrospect, I should have been tipped off by the fact that the ones she offered were simply all of the ones without "almond" plainly included in the printed name. These one didn't have flaked, obvious almonds in them, but it would appear they all still were made with the traditional frangipane filling (almond paste). Ah well.

Apparently galettes des trois rois are shared with friends and family throughout the month of January, not just on Epiphany itself, extending the good cheer of the Christmas season even further. How nice to have a special cake that's all about hospitality and generosity! I'm planning on making one or two of my own, sans almonds of course, and inviting some folks over in the next few weeks. Now to go procure some fèves...