Merry Christmas!

Hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season!  The three wise men are still journeying along shelf-tops and kitchen counters closer and closer to our Holy Family, so I suppose there's still time to squeeze in a holiday post.

I'm sure it will come as no surprise to say Christmas was a little different this year.  Most noticeably, this was our first Christmas since having children that we weren't home with family.  Grandparents, aunts, and uncles were missed, as were some fun family traditions.  But now we're doing our best to carry on some and start some of our own traditions.

One tradition Adam grew up with was getting a live tree every year and then planting it after Christmas.  Our decision was more based on the fact that the chopped trees available on base arrived the day before Thanksgiving, and their survival probability to the end of Christmas was doubtful.  So embracing all things miniature here, we got one of these cute little cypress trees instead.  I was in love when one string of lights covered the whole thing.  

My brothers got a kick out of the wine bottle that is half as tall as the tree (behind Elena).  If only...  :)

Elena helped make our angel to top the tree after we discovered we'd accidentally left most of our Christmas  decorations back with Nana and Papa.  Since that's the only major moving mishap so far, we're counting ourselves lucky.  Another plus for a small tree: one popcorn string took no time at all.  I'm telling you, it's won me over.

Looking fancy after church

"Goggie!"

Madeleine was convinced Baby Jesus' first visitors were dog-herders.

Actually, she still calls most animals doggies.

Our little kimono ladies

Showing off some ninja jumps.

Celebrating Christmas in a non-Christian country was certainly interesting.  The season of Christmas was very alive out in the stores (gift-giving, etc), and yet the actual day slipped by rather quietly.  Less than one percent of Japan claims to be Christian (according to Wikipedia).  Christmas without Christianity, it was very surreal.  Schools didn't close on Christmas day, stores had their normal hours, it was just like any other day.  Apparently Christmas eve is much more important here, because it is centered around the family.  Fried chicken is a "traditional" Japanese food for Christmas eve.  

On-base, everything shut down so the polarity of our life here was very pronounced.  It was nice to hop over to the neighborhood market when all the eggnog was sold out on base.  Except they're not big on eggnog, so we made our own.  We also tried making sake-nog, which is actually a real thing over here, but I don't recommend it.  Tiggers do not like sake-nog.

We also headed up to Tokyo one weekend just to get out and checked out some 'Illuminations,' or holiday lights.  There was a giant line to walk through this decorated corridor.  I was more impressed by the crowds of people than the lights.

At the end of the line was the grand finale lightshow in front of the mall.  

Snowmen that school children had decorated.

We also found some absolutely beautiful cards made by Carmelite nuns in Tokyo.  

I wish we had gotten more and am already looking forward to next year's.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!