How we celebrate the holidays in the French countryside
My husband’s holiday video on Beneath the Surface:
Get my empanadas recipes here:
Get the Doña Petrona tapas (empanadas dough) here:
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With much love and gratitude,
Cecilia 🙂
Timestamps:
0:00 My philosophy on celebrating the holidays alternatively
12:22 Setp-by-step on how I make the juiciest meat empanadas
16:35 The different folds for different empanada flavors (and other tips)
In this video, I invite you into my home in the French countryside to share our personal approach to holiday celebrations. We start with an honest conversation about how we’ve reimagined this season to reflect what truly brings us joy and peace. While I may appear to follow traditional paths, the reality is that we chart our own course, focusing on what feels meaningful and authentic to us.
After sharing this perspective, I take you through the hands-on process of making my juicy meat empanadas, step by step. These empanadas are a cornerstone of our celebration—crafted with love and packed with flavor. Along the way, I encourage you to rethink holiday traditions, embrace what feels right for you, and release anything that no longer serves you. This is about shaping a season that’s entirely yours, filled with warmth, delicious food, and the freedom to celebrate in your own unique way.
#FrenchCountrysideLiving #HolidayCelebrations #EmpanadasRecipe #NonTraditionalHolidays #AlternativeHolidays #HomeCooking #HolidayFoodIdeas #FrenchLifestyle #CookingWithLove #SeasonalCelebrations #JoyfulLiving #HolidayTraditionsReimagined #CozyVibes #RusticLiving #CreativeHolidays #AuthenticLiving #SimpleLiving #HomemadeEmpanadas #ComfortFood #FoodWithLove #CelebratingYourWay #MindfulLiving #SlowLiving #FrenchHome #HolidayInspiration
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37 Comments
I totally agree with you.❤
I’d love for you to talk more about Argentina and Argentinian culture
Merci beaucoup pour les recettes! Joyeux noel!
I can tell you who I think is lucky, Cecelia – whomever your sons choose to bring into your family as their partner. I'd say they will have never met anyone like you before, and will be the luckiest in-laws ever!!! 🥰🥰
Pioneer Woman ❤
We can relate to everything you said. Our family is the two of us. Our very large, extended, complicated family lives in Australia. We're moved to Europe and live very happy less complicated lives! Buon Natale. M&R
I feel like this channel is just like food for the soul! Thank you =) Always great insights. The empanadas LOOK delicious too. I will have to give them a try. I'll send you a pic on patreon when I try them out😋
I love that too Cecilia. The gift is family being together. The tree, flowers, and decorations. Peace ❤❤❤depends on the family of course
❤❤❤
yout collection of tops is stunning …..intentionality in everything
Cecelia, Me encantan las empanadas. Gracias por compartir sobre tu familia y tus costumbres. ❤
Cecelia, I love your style! Where do you find all these pretty lace eyelet peasant tops? I’d love to get a few and don’t know where to go.
Christmas was so magical as a child, even though my upbringing wasn't happy either. Unfortunately with all the hype, stress, superficiality, and consumer culture we have created around Christmas it has definitely lost its glow and magic, not to talk about the drama in many families (I'm happy without any😅). I still enjoy the Christmas magic though, but to me it's in nature when I'm alone, in the snow far away from people, and in beautiful night sky with fresh air and stars, candle lights and perhaps a good story about nature fairies and magic. I just love silence, beauty… And peace.
I love the values you have found in your family – so inspiring as always; so refined, so thoughtful, intelligent and aware.
Have a beautiful Christmas time ❤❤❤
This is exactly what I needed to hear now that it is the holiday time. Thank you, mama Cecilia!
I appreciate you sharing your perspective during this video. Hits home for me, especially this year.
I so appreciate it when people normalize that family and family-oriented holidays can be painful for some of us. Thank you! There are countless news stories of horrible child abuse and neglect, yet the default assumption that every parent loves their child is so widespread that I felt self-conscious and judged as a young adult not seeing my family out of self-preservation. I'm so grateful that the younger generation is getting to see reality portrayed more accurately and that therapists like Patrick Teahan, Ingrid Clayton, Dr. Ramani, and Jay Reid are providing clarity, validation, and hope on YouTube. 🤓 Giving myself the GIFT of healing and learning what makes me happy has been one of the best things I've ever done! 💖😃💖 Parents who truly accept and cherish their kids are always so moving to me, and I'm glad you and Josh found each other early and raised your kids with love. ❤ Happy Holidays! ✨
Doing things for others from your heart and not to fulfill an obligation is more honest.
Vamoo! Que bien ahí haciendo empanadas para las fiestas! Que tengan unas holidays espectaculares! From a fellow argentinian living abroad. Love. ❤️🔥🫂
Thanks, this is just what i needed to hear. We are not having extended family at our house this year for the first time in many. We are doing our own thing.
wish everyone had a chance to have parents like you two are 🙂
I'd like to try my hand at some empanadas!!
2:50 Quebec city ❤
Love this! Such a beautiful message. Cecilia, may I ask where you find your beautiful tops… I love your clothing style and creative jewelry. 🙂
Love your videos. Ciao from Italy 🌹
I can identify with your philosophy about the holidays. Over a decade ago I realized the preparation, stress, expectations, guilt and financial cost weren’t worth it—the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze! Now that I have altered my activities, I observe friends and family who complain non-stop about all the things they “have” to do, scheduling shopping, being frustrated over purchasing the right gift, travel, trying to make sure kids and grandkids have equal amounts of gifts, giving so many gifts to kids, the complaints about how expensive it all is, how exhausted they are and on and on. I quit decorating because it’s just me. My neighbors give me crap. I don’t give gifts and ask friends and family to donate to a charity instead. What I do is bake. I enjoy the process, creativity and give something from me. Last year I made lots of cookies. This year I’m baking my hotly demanded cinnamon rolls. I’m also baking homemade dinner rolls to give friends and family for their holiday dinner. I long ago shrugged off the guilt. I’m happier giving to charity and baking love gifts. During the year, if I find a gift someone would like, I get it for them without it being a reason or holiday. That’s me. Do what makes you happy.
I appreciate your insight into ‘why and how’ you spend your holiday a certain way!
Moving towards a more fulfilling life is one that I am trying to embrace too. Thanks for sharing! All the best if the season to you and your family.
Oh Cecilia, Thankyou for sharing your outlook and being the free bird as you are. Happy Holidays❤
OMG Cecilia!! you have SO beautifully put into words what I have been feeling for years!! I thought it was just me!! LOL!! Coming from a Spanish culture, the stress, expectations, guilt, obligation, tradition, etc,, is REAL!! It's absolutely exhausting!! I loathe being forced to do anything "just because it's tradition"!! I too am misunderstood as it seems this comes across to others as "selfish". I've come to the realization that I'm not responsible for people's reactions. You have to keep living your own truth! Keep on keeping on and thank you for such a delicious recipe!!
Yes!!! I love Argentine empanadas!! Yum!
Cecilia, another fun to watch video. Thank you. I have a question unrelated to xmas. Did you find any one particular Immobilier of help when house hunting, any particular agency?
This is the first year where shopping for Christmas really felt like a chore. Blah. Anyway, intention is such a great word. One of my good friends is from DR and her empanadas are amazing! Thank you for your words, thank you for the cooking lesson–your kitchen is amazing. Happy Holidays to you and your family.
this is beautiful. thank you. in a world that is changing so much we need to know there are new and beautiful ways to live authentgically. i so needed this <3 thank you
Happy Holidays!
🥰🇨🇦⛄️
I love our tradition of Christmas, we take it in turns hosting with our neighbours, sometimes there are more of us, and sometimes there are less but it’s always fun.
Me encantó el contenido de tu discusión acerca de las tradiciones y la Navidad, o el “porque así ha sido siempre”. Yo crecí en una familia latina llena de tradiciones sobretodo en esta época, mientras vivía con mis padres disfruté mucho y aunque no estaba de acuerdo con algunas nunca las critiqué. Dejé el nido muy joven y entonces me dí cuenta que no quería seguir tantas tradiciones que me parecían absurdas, como dar regalos a todos, en todas las ocasiones 😅, las fiestas de cumpleaños, las grandes reuniones con gente cercana y no tan cercana, etc y viviendo sola y lejos de mi familia fue fácil seguir mis ideas, hoy en día vivo en Francia con mi esposo y por suerte compartimos las mismas ideas, y aunque mi familia me considere “rara” 😂 respetan mis ideas 😊
Feliz Navidad and thank you for this beautiful video and cooking lesson. 🎄loving it all!
I’m exhausted! Christmas has gotten more and more complicated and less and less enjoyable every year. My husband and I do not have kids of our own, and I am learning to see the positives in that. I’m a few years from retirement, and we plan to start our international adventures then. I have to admit part of the rationale for that is to break free and focus on ourselves and squeezing every last drop out of life. I can’t seem to do that when I am home. Thank you for your insight. 🙏