We’re in a holiday hole at the moment No official days off coming up for another two months. That’s ages! In fact, 2010 is a bit of a bad year for days off as three of the jours feriés fall on a Saturday – 1st and 8th May and Christmas Day – and one, Ascension on 15 August, is a Sunday. That seems to be cheating. The children certainly feel hard done by with fewer days off school this year!

So here are the pubic holidays for this year to make a note of:

1st January – New Year’s Day

5th April – Easter Monday

1st May (Saturday) – Labour day

8th May (Saturday) – Victory in Europe Day

13th May (Thursday) – Ascension

24th May – Whit Monday

14th July (Wednesday) – Bastille Day                          15th August (Sunday) - Ascension

1st November (Monday): All Saints’ Day

11th November (Thursday): Armistice Day

25th December (Saturday): Christmas


There’s no hard and fast rule about what will be open and what will be shut, but be pessimistic and try to avoid having to shop on those days. Most shops will definitely be shut on New Year’s Day, Bastille Day and Christmas Day. For the other holidays, smaller shops are most likely to be closed. Supermarkets may open in the morning only. Tourist attractions will probably stay open, apart from 14th July, but don’t rely on it. Check in advance to be sure or avoid making a visit on a public holiday.

There may be no public holidays on the imminent horizon, but there are festivities coming up. Next weekend sees Valentine's Day and the Chinese New Year, and not far behind is Mardi Gras - pancake day. And it won't be long before village and town fetes begin again. For obvious reasons not a great deal happens during the winter months, certainly not here in Creuse where winters are pretty mean. But we're over halfway, and the school winter holidays started yesterday in this region so it's not all bad news. (This two-week holiday is staggered across France to extend the ski-ing season.) And every day is a few minutes longer too. Spring's on its way.