Villagers started their first atelier this morning!  This will be the first of three for our two-week villagers and the one and only workshop for those of us who leave Saturday morning.  Villagers signed up for their three top activity choices during rounds at Monday’s opening day stations.  Our staff is offering cake decorating, tir à l’arc, canoeing and pastels as workshop options for this first round.  Villagers braved the chilly winds yesterday to pass the swimming test that allows them to participate in canoë and they were all smiles as they got on the water this morning – again braving the cold.   
Our theme of Noël brought new songs and laughter to the village.  Our dining hall housed a Christmas tree and welcomed le Père Noël and two of his reindeer for our evening meal presentation.   Tonight’s activity involved several different papas Noël from various Francophone countries that have diverse interpretations and traditions surrounding Christmas.  Each cabin had some time to ransack their valises to find appropriate clothing so that they can dress one of their counselors up as Santa Claus.  Groups must follow the description of their particular assigned père noël to draw inspiration for their design.  Santas then strutted their stuff through Champagne for the défilé de mode where villagers explained their costume conception and we voted as a whole for the best looking Saint Nicholas.

Want to see our village in action?  Check out our Flickr site for tons of pictures each day:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ldbhackensack/