Thursday, December 28, 2006
Merry Late Christmas
I spent a quiet, happy Christmas at home this year. My wife and I exchanged nice gifts. We refused to wrap the gifts, to avoid causing pollution. We had a great, homey dinner together and watched a movie on TV.
I talked to family members and friends on the phone in the U.S. and was reminded of how different Christmas is in Japan compared to other countries. My family and friends were having family parties (some very large) around Christmas trees decorated with lots of lights and tinsel and other colorful decorations, eating lots of good food ("feast food" like turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, etc.--in the part of the U.S. where I'm from, the food for Thanksgiving and Christmas are similar). Some people drink eggnog, which is a kind of sweet, thick, milky drink (I don't like it--I think it tastes nasty), sometimes with nutmeg sprinkled on top and sometimes with a shot of whiskey. Some people watch a famous Christmas movie called "It's a Wonderful Life".
Since Christmas is, ostensibly, a holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, some people in the U.S. go to church on Christmas. However, many others "celebrate" by buying and giving gifts. For many people in the U.S., Christmas involves buying expensive products. People often feel pressure to buy expensive gifts (when they don't have money), and feel stress from the huge crowds at the stores. The number of suicides in the U.S. increases during the holiday season.
I never liked the materialistic ideas about Christmas, and am happy that my friends and family don't like them either. My brother and his wife gave me and my wife a perfect Christmas present this year. It was a jar filled with flour, bits of chocolate, and other tasty things--it was homemade muffin mix. It probably cost about a dollar to make (100 yen), and was a recipe created by my sister-in-law (who is a great cook), especially for us. I can recycle the jar, too!
Merry Christmas!
John
What did you do for Christmas? What will you do for New Year's?
I talked to family members and friends on the phone in the U.S. and was reminded of how different Christmas is in Japan compared to other countries. My family and friends were having family parties (some very large) around Christmas trees decorated with lots of lights and tinsel and other colorful decorations, eating lots of good food ("feast food" like turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, etc.--in the part of the U.S. where I'm from, the food for Thanksgiving and Christmas are similar). Some people drink eggnog, which is a kind of sweet, thick, milky drink (I don't like it--I think it tastes nasty), sometimes with nutmeg sprinkled on top and sometimes with a shot of whiskey. Some people watch a famous Christmas movie called "It's a Wonderful Life".
Since Christmas is, ostensibly, a holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, some people in the U.S. go to church on Christmas. However, many others "celebrate" by buying and giving gifts. For many people in the U.S., Christmas involves buying expensive products. People often feel pressure to buy expensive gifts (when they don't have money), and feel stress from the huge crowds at the stores. The number of suicides in the U.S. increases during the holiday season.
I never liked the materialistic ideas about Christmas, and am happy that my friends and family don't like them either. My brother and his wife gave me and my wife a perfect Christmas present this year. It was a jar filled with flour, bits of chocolate, and other tasty things--it was homemade muffin mix. It probably cost about a dollar to make (100 yen), and was a recipe created by my sister-in-law (who is a great cook), especially for us. I can recycle the jar, too!
Merry Christmas!
John
What did you do for Christmas? What will you do for New Year's?
# posted by John @ 11:37 AM 
Comments:
<< Home
Hi Metamon and Mamii,
It's nice to read of your holiday activities. I'm glad you had a good time with your families.
I'd tell you to be careful about the cold weather, but it's so warm lately!
John
Post a Comment
It's nice to read of your holiday activities. I'm glad you had a good time with your families.
I'd tell you to be careful about the cold weather, but it's so warm lately!
John
<< Home
