Morzine comes alive at Christmas with festive events and a range of food options.
If you’ve booked to stay in one of our self catered or serviced chalets this Christmas and New Year, we’ve no doubt that the majority of your Morzine ski holiday will be spent enjoying the snowy mountains. However whether it be your first Christmas in Morzine or one of many, be sure to check out what else there is on offer, as the ‘Enchanted Village of Morzine’ celebrates the final 2 weeks of the year with concerts, nature walks and creative workshops to get everyone fully into the Christmas spirit!
At the beginning of December the town illuminations are first turned on and the Tourist Office confirm all the Christmas family friendly events that will take place during the 2 week Christmas holidays.
If you want to eat a Brit style Christmas dinner at a restaurant then you should book now. Check out the list of restaurant options below.
We’ll keep you posted on the planned activities but in the meantime here’s a little of what to expect…
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is when the French typically celebrate their Christmas: gift giving and enjoying a traditional Christmas meal ‘Le Reveillon de Noel’, therefore you can be sure that there is plenty going on in town on the 24th December.
An abundance of activities will be happening down at the Tourism Office from mid afternoon onward. After a day on the slopes if your kids want to get creative they can indulge in several inexpensive events. On both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day kid can get involved in face painting, treasure hunts and musical parades to name a few.
Morzine illuminates its 3 metre high, Candle-made Christmas tree in the square behind the Tourism Office. Starting the illumination at 4 pm, it is worth sticking around for a few hours to enjoy the atmosphere.
Santa Claus Arrives
On the 24th December at 5 pm* Santa Claus or ‘Pere Noel’ as he’s called in France arrives at the Tourist Office Square to meet the children and spread some Christmas cheer.
Following the visit from Santa Claus you’ll find yourselves in the perfect location to watch the fireworks display too. Launched from the Pleney slopes at 6 pm they can be are seen and heard across Morzine. If you’d like a drink whilst watching the fireworks we recommend either Le Tremplin , at the foot of the Pleney or Bar 19.38 which is opposite the Tourist Office.
Carol Service
Each Christmas the Catholic Church in Morzine welcomes an English speaking Reverend to celebrate with them on Christmas Eve. There are usually 2 services that take place during the Christmas week starting from 18:00 hours and lasting around 2 hours long. Your family can look forward to plenty of traditional Christmas carols, a service of Bible readings, all followed by mince pies and mulled wine.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day brings with it a whole agenda of celebrations. After you’ve spent the morning in your chalet, giving gifts and making the most of family time before the traditional Christmas Day ski, get yourselves back down to the Tourism Office. From early afternoon there’s a spectacular array of Parades taking place to entertain all of the family, with free access to everyone.
Later that afternoon the Tourism Office offer free hot chocolate for the children, and Pitch, a typical French snack of a brioche-esque bun, filled with a chocolate/hazelnut filling.
Local Restaurant Christmas Dinner
If you’re staying in one of our self catered chalets over the Christmas period you have free reign over your traditional Christmas lunch: there are plenty of restaurants to choose from in Morzine, on the slopes, and in the surrounding villages. Many people just scrap Christmas dinner altogether and just go out to one of the great local restaurants. What is to say Fondue can become your new Christams tradition?? But if you do want a traditional British Christmas dinner then these are the restaurants to book:
La Grange: Offering a French twist or a traditional take on the Christmas meal, La Grange will be serving up a choice of starter, main and dessert on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You will need to book a table and also pay for the meal in advance.
https://lagrangemorzine.com/en/home
Le Clin d’Oeil: Serving both Christmas Eve dinner and lunch/dinner on Christmas Day, Le Clin d’Oeil offers both a set menu as well as their normal menu too.
http://www.restaurant-leclin.com/
+33 (0)4 50 79 03 10
Hotel du Lac: Located at beautiful Lac Montriond this hotel offers a Traditional Christmas Day feast for all the family.
+33 (0) 60356 8505
Le Local: Offering an incredible 7 course Christmas Day Feast this is a Christmas Day destination not to be overlooked.
https://www.lelocalmorzine.com/
+33 (0)6 19 19 96 37
Christmas Dinner in your chalet
If you want to experience a private chef with all the Christmas trimmings then we have some amazing chefs that we can put you in touch with. Send us your requirements through your guest account. We’ll find out chef availability and get a handful of them to email you directly with their prices and menu, it’s that easy. Get in quick though as chefs book up extremely quickly during the Christmas holidays.
Christmas Day Delivery
Another option on Christmas Day is to order a traditional Christmas dinner delivery through Dining Direct. Freshly home cooked and delivered to your chalet on Christmas eve so that you can easily reheat at your ease on Christmas Day. Orders are based on a minimum of 6 adults and there’s also a vegetarian option.
For more information:
https://www.dining-direct.com/christmas-dinners
Cooking Christmas Dinner
One of the joys of booking your own chalet or apartment is that you have a well equipped kitchen, so you can cook your own Christmas dinner if you want to. But the supermarket might not have everything you would find in the UK. Morzine has a good butchers (275 Rte de la Plagne), but he might not have time to get you a turkey if you only arrive a few days before Christmas day, so be prepared to flex to another meat joint. The butcher and the supermarkets do good quality free range large chickens which is a great alternative to turkey. Carrefour and Sherpa both have English sections, which include Bisto gravy, Christmas puddings and mincemeat. Things which you not going to find are; cranberry sauce, bread sauce, double cream, mince pies, brandy cream, brandy sauce, fresh or paxo stuffing or pre-prepared pigs in blankets. But if you love to cook then finding an alternative for those things is part of the fun.
Boxing Day
Don’t fret, the celebrations aren’t over yet! The Morzine Boxing Day parades are definitely worth a watch with colourful lights and festive music filling the Tourism Office square during the afternoon.
The Palais des Sports also offers a free creative workshop for the kids on Boxing Day. More details to follow.
For extra information, contact the Morzine Tourism Office:
Morzine: 26 Place du Baraty
+33 (0)4 50 74 72 72
Book Your Christmas Chalet Now
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