christmas

I do miss Christmas. It's Christmas Eve today, which just so happens to be a national holiday here because of the emperor's birthday. There is a big Christmas tree in a shopping mall downtown...but I miss the lights, I guess? I miss Harvard Square looking all festive with the lights. (Of course, I'm glad I'm not actually there due to the huge amounts of snow.) Christmas spirit, perhaps? People here sort of celebrate it, but it's even more stripped of meaning here than it already is in the US. I was asked by a family how I celebrated Christmas. I said--I don't do much, spend time with family, eat a nice meal, etc. This family has a small Christmas tree, christmas placemats, chopsticks holders, cell phone ringtones, napkins, the whole works. When I asked how they celebrate Christmas, they said, not much! The far bigger holiday is New Year's, which I guess is their family time. But looking at a gallery of Christmas trees around the world, I feel a bit sad.