From what I gather, Christmas in Japan is no big deal. Its like valentines day. There may be a small gift, perhaps a shared sweet, but none of the customary excess that we have come to love and dread here in America. Papa H will probably never get used to the gobs and gobs of presents that spill forth from beneath the tree on Christmas morning. Isn't one present enough? Yes. But that is besides the point. Its the frenzy of unwrapping, the confetti of ribbon and torn paper, and the complete and utter delirium of having way too much all at once! That's not what Christmas is all about, of course, we all know, but when you are a kid, its a definite perk.
In Japan, the holiday that everyone comes home for is New Year's. Food preparations for this special day are elaborate, to say the least. Countless dishes, exquisitely beautiful and symbolic, are prepared ahead of time and presented in stacked lacquer boxes. The New Year's holiday lasts for three days. Nobody works, nobody cooks, families come together and eat. We are always a little sad on New Year's Day when we can't be in Japan with H's family. This year we did iChat with them, and tried to share, just a little of their New Year's warmth. But it was not the same. Computer screens are flat and cold and lousy substitutes for the real thing, they only accentuate the impossible distance between us.
So we did the next best thing to spending the holidays with family, we spent it with friends. Papa organized a wonderful New Year's celebration with lots of friends and lots a food. Uta was a maniac, a very happy one, the entire time. Luckily there were plenty of people (and space) to diffuse his boundless excitement. Eventually he crashed, but only after everyone else had gone home. He was the last man standing. Except for Papa. Papa had to carry Uta home.
Happy New Year Everyone!
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