We are really into the Christmas mood now.
The temperature has dropped drastically in the past few weeks, and many Christmas decors can be seen in every shopping mall, even the grocery store we frequent. Yet somehow the Christmas “spirit” has been turned into mere commercial hype, simply just another reason to spend money – at least that’s how it feels here in Japan. I really wonder if the people here really know what Christmas is all about. Heck, Christmas day isn’t even a holiday. At least the Emperor’s birthday on Dec. 23 is a national holiday.
Just about a week more to go before we go home. I’m already very excited about going home, and seeing my family again. Christmas is a day to celebrate, a perfect opportunity to reunite with loved ones in our home country. Of course, this year’s Christmas for our family will also be marked by a tinge of sadness for not having our good ol’ Dad around anymore. I still miss him, and I miss him the most during Christmas. Dad was a magnificent cook, and every Christmas we looked forward to the delectable dishes he prepared for our Noche buena. He would always be the one to complain about Christmas being not really the birthday of our Saviour, but could be traced back to a quaint pagan celebration called Saturnalia (hey don’t ask me, better google it to know more about it). We called him old grouch for it. But come Christmas time he would be celebrating it with the rest of us with as much fun and fervor anyway. 🙂
I’m so busy with so many things nowadays, and I don’t know if I would be able to make future entries before leaving — so to all visitors to this site, I would like to wish you a very, merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year ahead! For some reason this site has been receiving a lot of visits lately – let me take this opportunity to say thank you all for dropping by!