Japanese Chirstmas traditions

I know that Christmas is a Christian holiday and that Japan in not well known for their Christian tendencies, but seriously if you are going to celebrate the holiday the GET IT RIGHT! Please I beg of you!!!

For those who are unaware of the Japanese "Christmas tradition", I will lay it out for you. In November (remember they don't celebrate Thanksgiving for obvious reasons American Peeps) all the Christmas stuff hits the shelves in all the stores. Lights, decorations, gift sets, Christmas trees and all kinds of goodies!! Then most businesses and especially departments stores decorate and have Christmas music filling the background silence. Now a days, about half of house holds have some kind of a Christmas tree in their houses, but I should elaborate by saying that Christmas trees in Japan are FAKE (Very very sad to me because it lacks a piney goodness). In our entire town I have seen about 10 places with Christmas lights lining houses or christmas tree shapes in front of places like the train station. It all accumulates and waits in preparation for Christmas Eve (yep that's right, Christmas is celebrated on December 24th here... WTF!!). On December 24 everyone has a family dinner of chicken and Japanese food followed by a Christmas Cake (I had never heard of a Christmas cake before I moved to Japan and it idea still is odd to me, mainly because we always had pie at my house). Then the kids are sent off to bed while thoughts of sugar plums and candy dance in their heads. Santa comes and leaves a present by their bed side or by their heads on the futons. They wake up in anticipated surprise and open the present the next morning and that ends the Christmas tradition. Yep... that's it.

So lets recap: Decorations at stores, fake trees, chicken dinner, Christmas cake and ends with the opening of a single present in their beds.

WHOOO!!!!

I hope you noted the sarcasm. I guess I'm just feeling a little pessimistic because I miss the Caroling, Light looking, Big Dinners, Pies, Lot of Present giving and getting and the way the air and smells of christmasy goodness. So to all those of you who are home for the holidays, do me a favor and take in the experience and send it to by telepathically.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!