I’ll admit it: when I first started thinking about Christmas in the mountains, I wasn’t entirely sure what it would feel like. Christmas is so wrapped up in familiar things, like your own home, usual traditions, the same decorations that come out of the cupboard every year, and all those little routines that you don’t even realise are traditions until you’re somewhere else.
So would Christmas in the French Alps feel like Christmas at all? It’s a question I wondered about before experiencing it here in Les Coches. I can tell you that it absolutely does. It just feels like a rather extraordinary version of it.
And there are some things about it that I have come to love.
Christmas in The Mountains
One of my favourite things about being here at Christmas isn’t actually Christmas Day.
It’s Christmas Eve.
By then, the village has a completely different feeling. The mountains are dark, the snow catches the light from the village, and there’s that lovely sense that everyone is settling in for the celebrations.
You can hear the occasional sound of people coming back from the slopes, doors opening and closing, people talking as they make their way home.
And then, quite suddenly, everything becomes quiet.
I love that moment.
There’s something about being surrounded by mountains at Christmas that makes you slow down. You aren’t rushing around the shops at the last minute or worrying about whether you’ve remembered everything. You’re already there.
And the mountains aren’t going anywhere.
Fancy a Christmas Ski?
Now, I know this won’t appeal to everyone, but I think skiing on Christmas Day is one of the most wonderfully unusual things you can do.
Imagine waking up on Christmas morning, looking out at a snowy mountain, having breakfast, and then deciding that you’re going skiing.
It sounds slightly ridiculous when you say it like that, doesn’t it? But once you’re here, it feels completely natural.
For keen skiers, it’s a brilliant way to spend Christmas morning. For others, perhaps Christmas morning is about presents, coffee, and taking your time. And that’s perfectly fine too.
I think that’s one of the nice things about a Christmas ski holiday. There isn’t really a correct way to do it. You can ski, walk, or just sit and admire the view. You can have a long lunch. You can do absolutely nothing.
Nobody is going to judge you.
And Then There’s The Food…
I couldn’t write about Christmas in the mountains without mentioning food.
Food is such a huge part of Christmas anyway, but there is something particularly enjoyable about sitting down to a good meal when you’ve spent the day outside in the cold.
And I’m a great believer that the best meals aren’t necessarily the most complicated ones.
Good ingredients matter, including tasty cheese and an excellent bottle of wine. And so does having enough time to sit around the table without anyone checking the clock.
That’s one of the things I really enjoy about chalet life.
People arrive as strangers and, by the end of the week, they’re often sitting around the dinner table talking as though they’ve known each other for years.
At Christmas, that atmosphere seems to become even more pronounced. Perhaps it’s because everyone is away from their normal routines, maybe it’s the wine, or it could be the fact that everyone has eaten far too much.
Whatever the reason, there is usually plenty of conversation and laughter.
What I Love About Christmas in Les Coches
There are bigger and more famous resorts in the French Alps, of course.
But I think there is something particularly amazing about spending Christmas somewhere like Les Coches.
It’s a real mountain village, and you’re surrounded by the enormous La Plagne and Les Arcs ski areas. So you have all that skiing on your doorstep, but when you come back at the end of the day, you’re not staying somewhere that feels like it could be anywhere in the world.
You’re in the mountains.
That sounds obvious, but it makes a difference.
You notice the weather, the snow, the light changing on the mountains, and you even notice how quiet everything becomes in the evening.
And at Christmas, all of those things seem magnified.
You Don’t Have to be a Serious Skier
I sometimes think people hear “Christmas ski holiday” and imagine that the whole week revolves around skiing.
It really doesn’t have to.
Perhaps you have one person in your group who would happily ski from the first lift opening until the last run of the day, while someone else would quite happily spend the morning walking around the village with a coffee.
That’s fine.
One of the reasons I think the French Alps work so well for groups is that you don’t all have to do the same thing. There are mountain walks, beautiful views, restaurants, and plenty of opportunities simply to enjoy being somewhere different.
And if you’re travelling with people who don’t ski at all, they don’t have to feel as though they’ve been dragged along on someone else’s holiday.
Is it Actually Relaxing?
This is probably the biggest surprise for people. You might think that spending Christmas away from home, travelling to France and organising a ski holiday sounds like a lot of work, but once you’re here, I think it can actually be incredibly relaxing.
The biggest difference is that you’re not trying to create Christmas, because it’s already happening around you. There’s snow outside, the mountains are there, the village is decorated, and everyone is in a festive mood.
You don’t need to manufacture the atmosphere; you simply enjoy it.
But there’s one thing I would recommend: don’t leave it too late if you’re seriously considering a Christmas ski holiday in France.
Christmas and New Year are extremely popular weeks, and we only have two chalets available. If you have particular dates, a particular size of group or specific requirements, leaving it until the last minute can mean having to compromise.
September and October are much better times to start looking.
Not because I want you to rush into booking something, but because it gives you time to think about what you actually want.
Do you want to ski every day? Do you want somewhere quiet? Are you travelling with children? Do you have non-skiers in the group? Is food particularly important to you?
These things can make quite a difference to the sort of holiday that will suit you.
So, Would I Choose Christmas in The Mountains?
For me, yes. There are still things I miss about being at home at Christmas, but I think that’s inevitable. There are moments here that I wouldn’t swap, like standing outside and looking up at the mountains on a clear Christmas evening, coming back inside after being out in the snow, a glass of wine while dinner is being prepared, the smell of something delicious coming from the kitchen, people sitting around the table, talking long after the meal has finished, and, of course, that slightly surreal feeling of having spent Christmas morning skiing.
I think that’s the real appeal.
You’re not necessarily looking for a Christmas that’s bigger, more extravagant or more exciting. You’re looking for one you’ll remember, and Christmas in the French Alps certainly gives you that opportunity.
If you’ve never considered spending Christmas in Les Coches before, perhaps this is the year to think about it.
I’d love to welcome you.
Johanna
