Guide · Holidays · December
December is the month of the festive table, and nature provides the best for it: the game season is still running, mussels and oysters are at their best and in Germany the carp is ready for Christmas Eve. This guide tells you what is in season around Christmas and New Year, how the neighbouring countries celebrate, and what you can see in nature between the holidays.
Short answer: in December roe deer, red deer, wild boar, hare and pheasant are in season, and so are mussels, oysters and scallops. Order Christmas game from your poulterer in good time. Over the holidays you can see more than two million wintering geese in the Netherlands, and sometimes grey seal pups in Zeeland.
What is in season in December?
| What | Season | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Game: roe deer, red deer, wild boar, hare, pheasant | Roughly September to January | Poulterers are busy around the holidays: order well ahead |
| Mussels | July to April | An easy, affordable festive dish for a big table |
| Oysters | Traditionally September to February | A New Year’s Eve classic; ask the fishmonger to open them if you don’t have an oyster knife |
| Scallops | Fished in France from October to mid-May, varying by area | Sear briefly: a minute per side is enough |
| Carp | The German carp season runs through the winter | The Christmas dish of Bavaria, Franconia and parts of Saxony |
What exactly is on sale differs by country and by year. Ask your poulterer or fishmonger what is fresh now and where it comes from.
The holidays in four countries
| The Netherlands | For many people, game belongs on the Christmas table: venison steak, jugged hare or a stew of wild boar. Our guide to buying game from a poulterer tells you what to order and when. |
| Belgium | According to a VLAM survey from December 2024, about a quarter of Belgians eat game at least once over Christmas. Game and turkey are the most popular meats on the Christmas table. |
| Germany | On Christmas Eve many families in Bavaria, Franconia and parts of Saxony eat carp. The tradition dates from when Advent was a fasting period and meat was off the menu, but fish was allowed. Folklore says that keeping a scale in your wallet brings money all year. In the north, goose is more common. |
| France | The réveillon, the feast on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, often starts with oysters and scallops. |
Nature over the holidays
Heading outdoors between the festivities? Winter is a surprisingly good time to see animals.
| What | Where | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Geese | From November to February more than two million geese spend the winter in the Netherlands, on meadows and along the coast | Greylag goose |
| Grey seal pups | December and January, in the Wadden Sea and Zeeland. Always watch them from a distance | Seal spotting in Zeeland |
| Wild boar and red deer | December is the mating season of wild boar. On the Veluwe you can see them from the wildlife hides | Wildlife on the Veluwe |
| Flamingos and vultures | Heading south in winter? From mid-December the flamingos in the Camargue perform their courtship displays, and in the Causses the vultures start their display flights | Flamingos in the Camargue · Vultures in the Causses |
Gift ideas for nature lovers
- A good pair of binoculars for anyone who loves watching geese, seals or deer.
- A field guide or nature book about the birds or mammals of the Low Countries.
- An oyster knife and a sturdy glove for anyone who wants to open oysters themselves.
- A cast-iron casserole for game stews.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the holidays
What game do people eat at Christmas?
Popular choices are venison steak, saddle of roe deer, jugged hare, pheasant and wild boar stew. All of these are in season in December.
When should you order Christmas game?
As early as possible, ideally a few weeks ahead. Game is in demand around the holidays and the poulterer can sell out.
Are oysters and mussels in season in December?
Yes. The mussel season runs from July to April, and December falls right in the traditional oyster season.
Why do Germans eat carp at Christmas?
Advent used to be a fasting period in which meat was not allowed, but fish was. Carp had been farmed in monastery ponds since the Middle Ages and was affordable. Especially in Bavaria, Franconia and Saxony it is still the Christmas dish.
What animals can you see over the holidays?
In the Netherlands mainly geese, more than two million of which spend the winter there, and wild boar and red deer on the Veluwe. In the Wadden Sea and Zeeland, grey seal pups are born in December and January.
See what happens in nature and the kitchen month by month in our seasonal calendar.
