If the health crisis forces us to have end of year celebrations in small groups - 6 maximum around the New Year's table - what effect does it have on the way in which children envisage this Christmas which is fast approaching?
From reading some of the letters sent to Santa Claus, the little ones seem to be well aware that the period is nothing ordinary.
“Since the launch of the Santa Claus secretariat on November 12, we have received some very cute letters, observes a spokesperson for the Post Office who, thanks to 50“ elves ”installed in a sorting center in Libourne (Gironde), responsible for responding to some 1.2 million letters sent to Santa Claus each year.
We can read there words full of attention like "take good care of yourself Santa Claus" or "bring us a vaccine as a gift".
There are even children who slip masks into their envelopes so that they can reach their homes safely on the evening of December 24!
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Timeless toys on the lists
On the other hand, nothing seems to disturb the composition of the gift lists, patiently produced by drawing inspiration from the catalogs of toy stores.
“Last year, I requested the Fifa 20 video game and this year, it will be Fifa 21,” says Martin, 10, from Clichy (Hauts-de-Seine), as a fan of football as of his Xbox console.
I also requested a DJ table and a naval battle board game.
I wanted to try a new game console, like the new Xbox or the PlayStation 5, but I wanted to be reasonable and I know my parents wouldn't agree.
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Victoire, 7 years old, Martin's little sister, hasn't changed her way of making her list one iota compared to the previous Christmas.
“I put in Pokémon cards, a karaoke microphone with a mirror ball and also two Sylvanian wooden houses with characters.
In short, nothing very different.
A trend that is confirmed in sales.
The most popular items are more or less the same as last year at the same time: classic Lego, Playmobil through video games and "collectables" in the form of dolls or small figurines.
"Christmas is sacred, even if you are not a believer"
If the magic of Christmas seems preserved for children, the role of parents has a lot to do with it.
"Christmas is sacred even if you are not a believer," explains Marine, Parisian of 39 years and mother of Oscar, 8 years old.
After everything we have just experienced and what awaits us, there is no question of stealing from children a moment that they are so impatiently waiting for.
Oscar is rushing to assemble the Lego he ordered.
"I already have a lot of them, but it's the toy that really makes me happy ..."
Oscar does not yet know it but his mother, an IT consultant who has been used to telecommuting since April, has a nice surprise in store for him "to mark the occasion" and because she was able to save money "not really having able to spend during the last confinement ”.