21st century America is full of digital equipment in daily life and is becoming more digital and virtual all the time. In order to remain more human and regain our connection with nature, we can bring up some ancient holiday traditions from France and enjoy them alongside our digital wonders. We might even enjoy them together in different parts of the world by video conferencing via cellphone or iPhone.

Christmas Eve Dinner in Provence, France entails seven separate courses and a complete buffet table of 13 different desserts. In some areas of the region, children are not permitted to have any dessert at all until they name all 13 correctly. The Tradition of the 13 Desserts is connected both to Christmas and to the Easter Season, because the number 13 represents the number of men that were present at the Last Supper.

Interestingly, the 13 days that begin on Christmas Eve comprise the lead-up to the initial festivities of Mardi Gras that eventually culminate on Fat Tuesday. Weekly parades and parties increase to daily or nightly festivities during the week preceding Mardi Gras itself in various parts of the world. Thus, Christmas lasts right up until Mardi Gras.

Christmas Dinner, or Gros Souperas is is sometimes called, is not a time or place for the reported custom in some areas of France in which desserts are eaten first. Children spend the weeks leading up to the traditional Christmas Eve Dinner in learning the names of all of these regionally famous desserts. The desserts are not all sugar filled creations, either, but include fruits, dried fruits, and even bread and cheese.

The 13 desserts below are beginning to include newer traditions, such as the Yule Log, and the numbers for each are arbitrary in some cases -- Large bowls of all of these desserts fill the table after the 7-course meal that includes no meat by Catholic tradition. For dessert, the table is cleared, covered with 3 layers of table cloths to represent the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and filled with the following foods, which vary a little by household (the yule log cake has replaced thin waffles in some homes recently). The desserts are consumed with a drink of cooked wine that is to represent Christ; and diners are to eat from all 13 dishes to bring good luck in the new year.

Find some French recipes for Christmas at The Best French Christmas Recipes, including a shortcut for a fast Yule Log Cake.

The 1 Olive Oil Pump (Le Pompe a Huile or Pompe de Noel a l'huile d'olive)

• An an enriched, sweetened flat yeast bread made with olive oil is enjoyed by breaking the bread as Jesus did at the Last Supper. According to local custom, to cut the bread brings the risk of bankruptcy in the new year. The bread may be enoyed wiht a beverage or accompanied by French cheeses as dessert.

The 2 Nougats

• Black Nougat - with caramelized honey and almonds
• White Nougat - with pine nuts, pistachio and hazelnuts

In some hosueholds, the black and white represent Evil and Good.

The 3 Yule Logs

• This is a newer tradition, representing the buring of a log of olive wood by the oldest person in the household for blessings. See a long and a short recipe at The Best French Christmas Recipes.

The 4 Beggars

• Hazelnuts to represent St. Augustin
• Almonds - The Carmelite Order
• Raisins - The Dominican Order
• Dry figs - The Franciscan Order

The 5 Fresh Oranges

• These fresh oranges are a traditional Christmas Gift as well and represent wealth in the coming year. In the Great Depression in America, a fresh orange was a real treat for a child at Christmas, the only gift he or she might find in a Christmas Stockking.

The 6 Quince Jellies (Fruit Paste)

• In the photo to the right, you can see that this dessert is a thick gel that is made from quince nectar, solidified, and rolled in sugar.

The 7 Dates Stuffed with Marzipan (Dattes)

• Dates are oval and recall the fish symbol of Jesus Christ (an oval with a fish's tail). For this dessert, sates are slit, stuffed with marzipan and sometimes rolled in additional sweets, such as sugar or colored sugars. These are very sweet.

The 8 Christmas or "Santa Claus" or Green Melons (or Verdau)

• These winter melons are a bit different from summer melons and are sometimes called white melons, because of their light coloring. Some of these melons ripen in December, others in November through January, and some may not be as sweet as watermelon, but look similar.  These melons are traditonally kept on top of a layer of straw to keep them from spotting.

The 9 "Candied Melons"

• This is candied citron, or the candied skins of citrous fruits, cooked in sugar syrup and dried.

The 10 Winter Pears and Apples

• Winter pears may include Beurre Clairgeau, Beurre d'Anjou, Beurre Easter, or Josephine de Malines varieties.

The 11 Dried Plums (Prunes)

• These plums, when dried, becomes sweetened prunes. Prunes are also used to stuff a goose if it is used as a course during the dinner.

The 12 Champagne Grapes

• Fresh green or white grapes, regular sized or Champagne sized (tiny)

The 13 Calisson d'Aix

Calisson d'Aix is the most awaited dessert of the 13 Desserts of the Provencal Christmas Eve Feast.

These treats are similar to candy shelled Jordon Almonds found in bags or boxes at the grocery store, but with the addition of fruits and syrups combined with ground almonds to make a sweet paste.

This delicacy was first enjoyed in the 15th century, without almonds; but included them after the introduction of this nut to Provence in the XVIth century. This addition of almond paste made the native dessert of Provence world famous, even back in the 1500s.

In the making of this dessert, almonds are crushed with melons, crystallized and added in with fruit syrup. After this almond paste is made, Master Chefs extrude Calissons (petal or boat shaped candies) and cover each with royal icing and arrange them in flowers and other images.