The rain in the heights of France is like taxation: recurring, reliable, and inseparable from the drabs of reality. As if on cue, the first gray spangles landed and slid across the panes of our carriage as the TGV split out of the rims of Paris and bounded north towards the département of Pas-de-Calais.
Sébastien in front of his childhood home 
A long-standing symbol of northern France—the belfry
The château of Bomy, built in 1755, was confiscated and sold as national property during the French Revolution
The 17th-century Templars farmhouse in Enquin-les-Mines 
Ready for réveillon, the feast of Christmas Eve
The neoclassical buildings of the metropolitan disappeared, displaced by the unmistakably Flemish flare of stair-stepped gables and brick townhouses, which in their turn were displaced by brown bosoms sprouting from the flat earth. These terrils, gigantesque mounds of coal dust and refuse, mark three hundred years of French industrialization and the center of the Nord—Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin.
Hamlet of Bomy 
Victor surveys his grove for storm damage
On the lookout for pheasants and hares at the hunting grounds near Laires
A decoy used for attracting wood pigeons 
Yule logs lend their name to the popular sweet roulade
Notwithstanding an inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the cultural terroir of the old mines and their surrounding areas are regarded by many a French as simply the sticks, a rural boondocks populated by blue-collars and blue weather. But beneath the layers of culm is a lively ember, tended by folkloric woods, rustic châteaux, and rich traditions.
The figurine of infant Jesus is placed in the crèche de Noël, or Nativity scene, once Christmas Eve has passed
First course: oysters, whelks, and crustaceans 
Second course: escargots with garlic-parsley butter
Third course: truffled boudin blanc with apple compote 
Fourth course: duck breast and twice-baked potatoes 
Fifth course: fruit and cheese platter featuring the regional Mimolette
Sixth course: religieuse, made of two custard-filled pastry puffs (choux) held together by glaze and buttercream frosting
More than ever, we were thankful to be here, in a year where nothing could be taken for granted: neither traveling, nor celebrations, and certainly not family. We cherished each other’s company over glasses of cream-colored pastis and trivia. We toured the swatches of forest purchased by Séb’s father and learned about hunting pigeons and game. We indulged our appetites and nourished our spirits in the lull of the countryside. For all the rain, wind, and aching winter chill, Christmas in Pas-de-Calais is a heartwarming affair, with plenty to admire, enjoy, and love.
The natives of Pas-de-Calais and the neighboring département of Nord, commonly known by the moniker Ch’ti
Gregory Gioro 