another family tradition...

These are our Santon collected over 20 odd years. There are some that date back to my childhood that used to be my Grandmothers which my mum let me have after Nana passed away.

They are from the South of France, the Marseille region and are a traditional nativity set that you build on with southern Franch characters. There is a well known Santon fair every summer in Aubagne.

My mum started her collection when she was at university and did her year in France and Stuart and I started ours the first year we had our own house. Mums collection makes mine look very puny but I have another 20 years to catch up!! You start with the usual people from the nativity story and then move on to traditional people and animals. The Marseillaise couple, the vigneron, the boulanger etc. down to wild boar.

I started Catherine and her boys set this year for the their birthdays (which is partly why I blipped them today) and hope we are friends long enough to build her collection too.

the most famous santonier