Was yesterday 2008 or 2007?

I have never been a good time keeper. Deadlines, seasons and appointments either stress me out to no end or catch me off guard. As a native southern Californian, I grew up taking the seasons for granted. It was always warm, except for the mornings when a jacket would suffice. Living in New York came as a shock to say the least, with its freezing winters and summers so hot, the tires on my inline skates melted on the asphalt. I wasn't too successful in London either, though it should have been easier as it was winter all year round.

Living in France and being part of a French family seem to be helping me reform. The French are forcing me to be more in tune with time. Here, people like being constrained by time, seasons, etc. They know when different fruits, vegetables, cheeses and seafoods are in season. They look forward to eating the next season's harvest. I tried shopping for figs out of season, and it was not possible to find them because no one has imported fruit and veg. (There is produce from other EU states and countries under French possession, but that doesn't count.) No one was making a fuss about this, although in London there are always certain fruit and veg because everything is imported, and people would certainly kick up a stink about not having figs at their local Tesco.

The French keep such a rigorous watch on the time of day, as well. In my husband's family, they consider it impossible to have lunch if it does not start before 2 PM. As a result, they think eating breakfast anytime after 10 AM will spoil your lunch.

We rung in the new year last night with the family. We had a reveillon that lasted until 1:30 AM, starting with a raw oyster starter, a plate of escargots, a trou normand (apple sorbet with Calvados), a filet steak with dauphinoise potatoes, fromage and salad, and finally, dessert. Before the feast, we actually had a family discussion about what time aperitifs should be served in order for us to be finished around midnight. During the meal, my mother-in-law kept the time on her wristwatch so that we wouldn't miss the countdown to midnight.

I thought this was normal until I realised even when we hosted New Year's Eve dinners, we did not make a conscious effort to make it to midnight. It was rather nice to find we were 10 minutes to midnight when we had cleaned off our last bite of dinner!

In years past, I often made resolutions to improve my time management skills. Perhaps this year I can be more informed in my resolution-making, thanks to my French family:

• I resolve to eat seasonally, to plan in advance for birthdays, holidays and special occasions, and to maintain regular contact with those I care about.
• I will try to busy my hands when it's light outside, to feel tired when it's dark.
• I will try to wear a watch at all times.
• I will try to use my organizer regularly.