Meilleurs Vœux

This is a particularly dangerous time of year in France. You can't set foot out of doors without being addressed in the street by somebody anxious to present their meilleurs vœux, and of course common courtesy insists that you should wish them meilleurs vœux in return. Shopkeepers, too, are eager to extend seasonal greetings and you would be a sourpuss indeed if you did not reply in kind.

How long does the meilleurs vœux season last? Officially, no-one may foist their meilleurs vœux on you after the end of the month, but in truth you may safely venture out after mid-January with little fear of being accosted. 

The peak of hostilities is to be feared this very weekend when, in town and village halls up and down the country, mayors and mayoresses will present their meilleurs vœux to the populace lured by the prospect of free (ersatz) champagne and cakes. The worst occurs before the local dignitary begins to speak, during that uneasy time when everyone feels obliged to present everyone else with their meilleurs vœux, leaning forward confidentially and adding meaningfully surtout bonne santé. Good health indeed! Most of us can't even stand up without the aid of a Zimmer frame.

I think I'll give the mayor a miss this year. Instead I'll settle down in front of the television with iCat and watch some C list politician prsenting his meilleurs vœux.