Santons of Provence: All I Wanted for Christmas

In this year of pandemic, we decorated for Christmas early, as did many others. It made a nice diversion from the things going on in the world. So, the fact that my Christmas gifts didn’t arrive until the last day of December might have been a good thing, as it extended the anticipation another week…

This santon of a lady with a goat represents the goat cheese of Provence that I love. And the woman with a pumpkin is a reminder that all types of gourds grow well in the Provence soil. The city of Nice even has a gourd festival.

This year, all I wanted for Christmas was santons – those little clay Provençal figurines that pop up every Christmas in the south of France. They’re part of the local Nativity scenes and every person in the village is represented. If you don’t know about them, you can read about santons here.

A *gardian* (Provence cowboy) holding his trident, a white horse, and a flamingo represent the Camargue region in the southwest of Provence.

I began collecting santons when I lived in France. I would pick one up from time to time, but I didn’t want to get carried away and end up with an unwieldy collection. This year, however, I was suffering from Provence withdrawal. I hadn’t been there in more than a year and it didn’t seem likely that I would be going back anytime soon. I needed a bit of the south of France, and santons seemed like the perfect solution.

One of the things I love most about Provence is the lavender fields.

First, Jeff found a small collection of santons on eBay and was going to surprise me, but he was never very good at keeping a secret. So we both watched excitedly as the end of the auction drew near. The tension was running high as we sat on our sofa and stared at the computer screen, but we were sure no one would beat our high bid. Then at the last minute, someone swooped in and outbid us.

A woman and man in traditional Niçois costumes and a fisherman with his net represent Nice, France where I lived for 11 years.

It was disappointing, but no problem, I just went online directly to Escoffier, one of the French santonniers (santon makers), and ordered some. There was still plenty of time for them to arrive before Christmas. However, the next day, the authorities closed the borders between the UK and France because of the new strain of covid. Delivery trucks were stuck for days, and I knew my santons would not reach me before Christmas.

These two santons represent the powerful Mistral wind that blows through Provence.

Even though I had already placed my order, I peeked at eBay again, and I found another set of santons up for bid in the UK. This time, I won them. Now I had two deliveries of santons on their way to me. Every day I checked my postal tracking numbers, but they weren’t being updated because of the border closing and the Christmas rush. Every time the doorbell rang, I jumped up and ran to answer because I was sure it was my santons.

The tarasque monster, his “chevalier” (handler) and Tartarin (a literary character) represent the town of Tarascon and its annual tarasaque festival.

Finally, on the last day of 2020, my packages arrived. I may have gotten a bit carried away, as my santon collection has grown substantially. But I love them all, and they remind me of the places I’ve been and the things I’ve experienced in Provence.

This is the poultry section of my santon collection. I’m afraid these geese might be headed for foie gras.

I’ve already made a list of santons that I want to get next year, and I’m thinking I might also need to concentrate on their décor. Now that I have so many lovely santons, they need more houses… and stone walls… and animals… So much for not getting carried away!

I love this priest because of his umbrella with a duck head that reminds me of Mary Poppins. The woman beside him is *Arlesienne* (from Arles) and possibly his wife.

The santons I had before were from various makers. The ones I ordered this year were from Escoffier and their workmanship and quality seem superior to some of the others I have. The detail is good and the colors are nice and bright. I think they may be my new favorite santonnier.

I hope you were as excited about your Christmas gifts as I was about mine (even if they were a bit late). Wishing you all a wonderful, happy, and healthy new year filled with things that bring you joy.

If you would like to read more about santons or the things represented by mine in the above photos, have a look at these links:

What do you think? Let me know in the comments section below. And if you want to read more of my curious histories, subscribe to my blog (at the top or bottom of this page).

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Margo Lestz

Margo has authored seven books and writes mostly about England, France and Italy. She has a BA in Liberal Studies with International Emphasis and enjoys travel, languages, history, writing, and experiencing other cultures.

13 responses to “Santons of Provence: All I Wanted for Christmas”

wbahr

January 1, 2021 at 5:03 pm

Very nice! But you’ve made me curious (no pun intended)! Did Santa bring you the 2 cm or the 9 cm figurines? And, of course, being curious, I looked up “santon” in the dictionary and found the word also means ” a saint in Muslim countries : a dervish regarded by the people as a saint.” Seeing no dervishes and unless every one of your figurines is a saint, I’ll figure you went with definitiion 2: “a small clay image from southern France that is used in a Christmas crèche.” Thanks again for the gift of your fascinating, illuminating story. Happy New Year!!

1. Margo Lestz
  
  January 1, 2021 at 5:18 pm
  
  Hi Bill,
  My santons are 7 and 9 cm. Different santonniers make different sizes but most people collect the 7cm. The 2 cm are more like the kind found in the gallette des rois (king cake) in January. I think the clay kind like mine can go up to 12 cm. Above that they are usually the kind with fabric clothing.
  The word santon means “little saint” and all the people in the Provence village are little saints (but not dervishes). This use is from the Provencal word “santoun”. I guess they are considered little saints because they are going to the creche to see the newborn baby Jesus. Hope that satisfies your curiosity a bit. 🙂
  Happy New Year!
  
cindy knoke

January 1, 2021 at 7:14 pm

Happy & Healthy New Year! 🤩🌃🎆✨🍾

1. Margo Lestz
  
  January 1, 2021 at 10:08 pm
  
  Thanks, Cindy, and Happy New Year to you too. May it be a wonderful one. 🙂
  
Paula Huston

January 2, 2021 at 4:04 am

Happy New Year, Margo. And let’s hope it is the year of vaccinations and the end of COVID. I love your Santons. Please photograph your setting – or is it settings? The one in your article look beautiful. Best wishes, Paula

1. Margo Lestz
  
  January 2, 2021 at 9:47 am
  
  Hi Paula. Happy New Year to you too. May it be a better one!
  I don’t have much in the way of a setting for my santons, I just have one little house, a fountain, and two rock walls. I think next year it will be my mission to try and get some more. 🙂
  All the best -Margo
  
Jacqueline

January 2, 2021 at 11:16 am

I collect santons too Mine are the tall 10″-12″ ones that are dressed in fabric clothes each representing either a region or a trade or task. I love them and they are displayed all year in a curio cabinet in my dining room. I love the idea you have of the santon representing a certain aspect of life in Nice or in Provence that you relate to. Thanks for sharing and I’m glad to hear there’s another person with my same hobby.

1. Margo Lestz
  
  January 2, 2021 at 3:36 pm
  
  Yay! Another santon sister! 🙂
  You know, I’ve just been thinking that it would be nice to have my santons where I could see them all the time. I think your idea of displaying them in a curio cabinet is a great one. Although I’ll probably go ahead and pack mine away this year, I’ll keep my eye out for a permanent place for them in the future.
  Happy New Year and All the Best, -Margo
  
Traditions de Noël les Santons de Provence – Blog Voyage

December 2, 2021 at 3:09 pm

[…] Je commencé à recueillir des Santons quand je vivais en France. J’en prenais un de temps en temps, mais je ne voulais pas m’emballer et me retrouver avec une collection trop lourde. Cette année, cependant, je souffrais du retrait provençal. Je n’y étais pas allé depuis plus d’un an et il ne semblait pas probable que j’y retourne de si tôt. J’avais besoin d’un peu du sud de la France, et les santons semblaient être la solution parfaite. […]

Chris Youngdahl

November 30, 2022 at 11:34 pm

So much fun to read about your collection! I can really relate to your dilemma: to resist or to buy more of these charming characters and then to realize that you must add buildings and landscapes to create context! If I could, I would attach a photo of me with a master santonnier who is now semi retired. I forgot which year he won the prize “meilleur ouvrier de France”. He’s Daniel Galli from Ansouis. I bought a bunch of the smallest sized houses and a large clothed one.

1. Margo Lestz
  
  December 2, 2022 at 8:25 am
  
  Hi Chris, it’s nice to meet a fellow santon lover. 🙂 I was hoping to get to France this year to pick up a few more, but it doesn’t look like I’ll make it… so I ordered a few. 🙂 I looked up Daniel Galli and saw some photos and references to him, but it doesn’t look like he has a website. Maybe next year I’ll get over there to do a tour of the santonniers. Happy Holidays!
  
Isabel Castellanos

January 26, 2023 at 10:02 pm

Well, I am 83 years old, live in Miami, Florida, have never visited Provence and have been collecting santons for more than 30 years! I understand your obsession, which I share. Escoffier santons are beautiful and I am also enjoying those of Flore (Aubagne) and Richard from Aix en Provènce. Both have websites and their delivery service has been excellent. Thanks for your article.

1. Margo Lestz
  
  January 29, 2023 at 10:10 am
  
  How lovely to meet a fellow santon collector! You must have quite a collection. My collection is just about maxed out, but every year I still buy one or two – I just can’t help it. 🙂
  All the best, -Margo