Today, it is party for kids in the East and North of France (and many others regions in Europe). This is Saint-Nicolas. To me, it is a celebration that I prefer, compared to Christmas. Much easier tradition to follow and less expectations maybe. 

The 5th of December, you put a carrot and a glads of milk outside your door, and if you’ve been nice during the year, the Saint-Nicolas may bring you clementines and a book during the night. Saint-Nicolas and his comparse Père Fouettard used to come for a visit at school and there is always a big parade in town the coming Saturday. 

You can read about the legend and everything on wiki of course: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas_Day 

We use to eat gingerbread (I’m not a fan of it though)  and Mannala, kind of brioche little people. This is not hard to bake but it takes time. Now, time is on my side, so I baked mannalas this morning. They taste really good!