The Christmas table: what's playing
What is played around the turkey?
It's different from a family to the other. It depends on the frequency of family reunion, which varies the desire to find each other. When members are scattered and do not see each other, the issues become even more important. The meal of Christmas is one of the great family moments, these highlights not to be missed.
What are the expectations?
There are two strong aspects: the fir tree with the children, and the table of Christmas, usually adult. This is a great moment, where everyone wants to be close to his family. In the polls, the family is quoted first among the values that hold the French. And everyone feels a little guilty of declaring " family, family "while we spend little time ... So we catch up to Christmas. The wait is very strong, carried by the atmosphere that precedes the holidays: candles, music, shop windows, flickering ... Hard to be outside the box!
How does this manifest itself?
Everyone is gathered to taste happiness in family and to put content to the dream. We control ourselves in conversations so that everything goes well. We make family happiness by remembering the good memories, by releasing the albums (we often show the photos of Christmas previous ones!), telling the same stories that always make you laugh ...
Does the dream still work?
Sometimes there is a dichotomy between dream and reality. It's not necessarily a disaster, but sometimes you get bored. We had dreamed of simple happiness, and then we do not escape small conflicts. Small crises sometimes break out in the midst of obligatory happiness. Despite the disappointment, we will come back the following year. It takes a pretext not to come to Christmas !
And with the children?
They had dreamed of their wondrous mines. And sometimes it's a failure: they make the head or show an intolerable indifference. There has been a crescendo of total gifts for several years. Now, children evaluate, compare ... It is often incomprehensible for parents if the happiness of children is not at the rendezvous.
Do rituals evolve?
Christmas is one of the last festivals whose ritual moves little. When sometimes there is a new culinary resolution, it is a question of replacing the turkey with the capon ... It is necessary that Christmas rest Christmas !
Pans, love and crises by Jean-Claude Kaufmann, ed. Armand Colin
