Yoshi's First Holidays!

The doorbell rang, pin pon! Who could it be? I grabbed Yoshitora and ran to the door. The camera was ready. It was Santa and Rudolph! They were making their Christmas Eve rounds and decided to pay a special little boy a personal delivery for his first Christmas.

The bewildered Yoshi didn't really know what was going on, but Santa didn't miss a beat. He informed Yoshi that tonight was Christmas Eve and that Yoshi had been a very good boy. So good that Santa had brought him a special gift. He reached into his sack and pulled out a large present. We took pictures, and I profusely thanked the incredibly wholesome Santa and Rudolph for making this night so special.

Christmas isn't a huge deal in Japan. It's not a holiday and is celebrated more like Valentine's Day as opposed to what I'm used to in the west. Typically couples go out on a date while families keep it low-key with one or two presents for the kids and a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Jesus is largely absent since Japan is not Christian, and the day is like any other. New Year is the big family holiday on this side of the world, and we celebrated that with family, lots of food, and a trip to the temple. It was also my first white Christmas since being in Japan because Osaka doesn't really get snow, and Fukui gets LOTS.

Christmas meant a lot to me growing up since my family got together and we ate a huge feast. And, of course, Santa. Santa does come to Japan, too (I was following the google Santa tracker very closely!). Still, he's hard to pin down in the days before Christmas for the classic mall photo op.

That's why I was so happy to learn my small town would have someone suit up and visit kids who signed up. I'm not surprised that we were the first family to register! Even though I know Yoshi won't remember, I still wanted to make his first Christmas special. It was important to me to start building memories that he'd be able to reflect on when he is older.

Christmas Day was a nice one. We were invited for lunch at a friend's house with another couple. Both have little girls, and the hosts were also an international couple which is very rare in our small town. We ate heaps of food, which is essential during the holidays, did a little bit of karaoke, and the kids did a whole lot of playing. It was an excellent way to spend the afternoon.

When we arrived home, we saw a visitor at the top of our street! For a moment, I thought it was a decoration before remembering we lived deep in the countryside. And when I saw his ears twitch, I knew this guy was for real. I joked that Santa must have forgotten one of his reindeer because it was a large deer who had ventured down from the mountain.

After that, we went back home so Yoshitora could open his presents. We didn't go overboard with gifts, figuring he'd have more fun playing with the wrapping paper than anything. He loved his main gifts; a xylophone we'd found at a second-hand shop, some Lego Duplex blocks, an Aqua Doodle drawing mat, and a wooden DJ set.

The rest of the day was uneventful but full of playing while we relaxed with full bellies. So, a typical Christmas Day all around.

New Year's was spent over three days with family, sharing laughter and eating osechi. That's a special meal for New Year's, full of traditional Japanese foods and served in a box. The food served inside has specific meanings, like kuromame (black soybeans) for health, shrimp representing longevity and wisdom, and kuri kinton (candied chestnuts) for wealth and fortune, for example.

On New Year's Eve, we decided to battle the rain and take a sleepy Yoshitora (who was bundled up in my arms) to the nearby Eiheiji Temple to ring in the new year. It's a gigantic temple that is one of the two head temples of Soto Zen Buddhism. It's world-famous, and at one point, Steve Jobs had considered becoming a monk here! We toured the temple, prayed at the Butsudan (Buddha Hall) and heard the monks ringing the large bell.

New Year's Day consisted of a family pizza party. The day after, we all went out for a sushi dinner after checking out some of the sales at the local mall. We don't have Boxing Day in Japan, but the new year starts with stores having big sales and selling lucky bags of heavily discounted items. I didn't test my luck with a bag, but I did get some warm sweaters to help with the cold Fukui winter.

It was a fun three days following a fun Christmas, and I'm happy Yoshitora could spend it with family, warmth, and good food. I prayed for his health and safety and for our family and friends near and far. Without knowing what the future has in store, it was the best thing to wish for.

So from us in Eiheiji, Fukui, Japan, to you - Happy New Year!