Despite constantly traveling around the globe, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie still prefer France as their home base – at least for now. Brad told “Access Hollywood that the family of eight will spend Christmas in France this year. It seems Brad and Angie might end up settling there.

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and their six children have settled in France — for a little while.

The family will stay put while papa Pitt films his role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” according to the UK’s Hello magazine.

“I’ve been dragging them all from continent to continent lately, so we’re going to have to give them a break soon. For the long term, right now, we’re choosing France,” Brad told Hello, according to MTV UK. “It’s good living there, a really nice way of life.”

Though the family spent time this year in Germany and New Orleans, Brad said right now, France is the top.

“It’s a place where the kids can run free and not be hassled – we have a good relationship with the locals, and it’s a good base for the family,” he said.

[From Access Hollywood - link has automatic video and sound]

They’re clearly very happy in France, although despite what Brad said they have had some run-ins with the paparazzi and their neighbors, who have complained that they monopolize the town’s police resources. Nonetheless it’s probably still quieter than any existence they could have in America.

Yesterday Brad noted that he and Angelina try to keep their Christmas spending reasonable and don’t spoil the kids. He also said they have a Christmas tradition where everyone has to give a gift they’ve made themselves. That’s pretty cute. Kids are good at making things, since they do it in school. But I’m curious about what Angie and Brad make. Brad’s a photographer, so perhaps he gives one of his pictures. But I’d love to know what Angie does. I’m hoping it’s something made out of popsicle sticks and too much Elmer’s glue.

Here’s Brad and Angelina at the “Benjamin Button” screening New Orleans on December 1st. Images thanks to Splash.

Though they haven’t even been born yet, the mayor of Nice, France is already bestowing quite a bit of praise on Brangelina’s upcoming double bundles of joy. He’s praised them quite a bit, and has announced that the children will be honorary citizens of Nice for the rest of their lives. They’ll also have the opportunity to apply for French citizenship when they turn 18.

They’ll always have Nice. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s soon-to-be-born twins will always be considered honorary citizens of Nice, regardless of whether they opt to obtain French citizenship, the mayor of Nice said Friday.

“That is for the citizens of Nice a very great honor and a great satisfaction,” mayor Christian Estrosi said. “We are very happy for this choice of Mrs. Angelina Jolie and Mr. Brad Pitt and I want to say to them that I wish a lot of joy to them and the babies, and great success for all of their lives.”

The mayor affectionately called the twins “two little Nicois.”

Being born in France is not enough to confer citizenship. But according to the French Foreign Ministry website, the twins will have the option of obtaining French citizenship when they turn 18 as long as France has been their primary residence for at least 5 years after age 11.

“All their lives they will be Nicois and all their life they will be able to come to Nice and we will receive them with great honor,” Estrosi said. He was waiting eagerly to extend his congratulations on behalf of all the city’s residents.

[From the Huffington Post]

That’s really sweet. Somehow the mayor sounds so into it, I imagine him giving his speech with little squeals of delight or something. Angelina is expected to give birth in the next couple of weeks, but no one can really narrow it down beyond that. With twins it’s very rare to go full term, but her doctor has said she has a ways to go.

Brad has been bringing their children to visit her – in batches, since there’s a lot of them. Between all of their traveling, it seems like the whole bunch of them would be better off getting some kind of all-encompassing citizenship. I realize that doesn’t exist, but – as with most things – I’m pretty sure everyone is willing to make an exception for the Brangelinas.

Here’s what I’m told is Brad Pitt looking through the window at Lenval hospital on July 2nd. Header of the couple at the Changeling premiere in Cannes on May 20th. Images thanks to WENN.

It turns out that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie aren’t nearly as impulsive when it comes to their real estate purchases as we thought. The couple were widely reported to have purchased a 1,000-acre 35 bedroom estate in the south of France, running them about $60 million. Which certainly isn’t that much for the couple, but is a sizable investment, nonetheless. However People is reporting that Brad and Angie actually made a much more sensible decision – choosing to lease the place for the next three years.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have signed a long-term lease for a chateau on the French Riviera, according to reports.

The couple, who have four children and two more on the way, signed a three-year lease on the 880-acre estate called Chateau Miraval, where neighbors will include Johnny Depp and David and Victoria Beckham, according to the French newspaper Nice Matin.

The estate, reportedly valued at $70 million, comes with its own vineyard, olive groves, lake, moat, 20 fountains and even a forest to help ensure privacy.

“They’ll have total privacy, which is exactly what they’re after,” a source told E! Online. “No one will ever be able to get pictures of them relaxing at home, it’s just impossible.”

At the Cannes International Film Festival, Jolie, 32, who is expecting twins this summer, told reporters that she was thinking of giving birth in France, and that French is the “second language” in the family’s home. A rep for Pitt and Jolie had no comment on the estate.

[From People]

Angelina has said that the couple wants to adopt more children after she gives birth to their twins. They’re also considering starting a foster home. I know it’s cheesy as hell, but I am once again nominating myself for adoption or fostering. I can be remarkably immature, I’m sure I’ll fit in great with the kids. And one of my housing requirements is that the grounds be surrounded by a moat. Which the Chateau Miraval reportedly has, so it seems like the perfect deal.

It seems like Brad and Angelina will definitely be spending the bulk of their next few years in France. Their children attend the Lycée Français schools, which are based on the French national curriculum. And there are over 400 schools worldwide, making it somewhat familiar when the kids move from school to school. Clearly the Jolie-Pitts have a special spot in their hearts for France – and their new home will give them a good deal of privacy as well.