Happy Holidays from Japan

American Village Santa

The holidays were quite different this year. This is the first year that we haven't had at least two of our kids home to celebrate with us. It was the first Christmas I haven't spent with the girls and I really felt a little lost without hugs from my kids. They always make the holidays fun. Not that Russ isn't fun but they bring a little more noise and laughter to the home...So we had to adjust to going back to just the two of us. Russ and I bought a smaller Christmas tree, two boxes of clear lights and two packages of red and silver ornaments and a silver bow for the top. It was a simple but elegant little tree and served it's purpose well. I also picked up a few more Santas for my collection which sat on the end tables. A big thanks to all who sent Christmas cards to us this year. It was exciting to get mail and we used them to decorate our entry way so the apartment looked a little more Christmasy.

The kids playing in the snow

The base had a nice Christmas celebration in early December called Winter Wonderland. They had food and craft vendors and activities for the kids. I was impressed that they even made an igloo with snow for the kids to play in. I enjoyed watching them play in the snow. The evening ended with a free "John Legend" concert. Russ and I went to the John Legend concert and it was wonderful. Just him and his piano on stage. It was a good show and you can't beat "free".

Blurry John Legend

Since I didn't have internet in December, I drove to the base and sat in the USO two days and did two marathon online shopping days for the kids and grandkids. I had them all do wish lists so it would be a little easier to find things quickly. Everything arrived on time and we only had one package come up missing. I did manage to get an old address on a few of Cory's boxes but luckily he still owns the house they went to so he was able to retrieve them. The kids all called to talk and/or let us see the grandkids playing with their toys and so it helped make the loneliness a little less seeing all their beautiful faces.

The American Village was decorated quite festively for Christmas. There were lights all over the buildings and lining the streets. They had several areas for photos throughout the village too. I was able to get Russ to pose with me for a few photos with Santa. Here in Okinawa the Japanese celebrate all of our holidays as well as their own. It was nice seeing all the decorations around the town so we didn't feel so far away from home.

Our annual anniversary photo

Russ and I celebrated 32 years together this year on Christmas Eve. It was a rainy day so we didn't get to go to the beach that day but had a nice dinner at a steak restaurant on base called "Jack's Place". I got a nice ribeye steak and Russ got some salmon. Then we went and splurged on some Baskin Robbins Ice Cream. He gave me a beautiful gold bracelet and I gave him a FitBit watch he'd been wanting.

Christmas morning we slept in for the first Christmas in who knows how long. We still did our traditional cinnamon rolls and orange juice for breakfast and took our time drinking our coffee and tea before opening our gifts to each other. We were invited to dinner at the home of one of our church friends. Erin made all the items I would normally serve on Christmas. It was very nice to have a younger couple to spend the evening with. They put their kids to bed and we played Nertz for a little bit after dinner. I think I surprised them at how competitive I get with the game but we had some fun. Quiet Donna goes wild.

We spent New Year's Eve at the home of another family from church along with the couple we spent Christmas with. Charla wanted to do a traditional Japanese New Years party and outdid herself with all the decor and foods she made. We played games until midnight and rang the New Year in watching Japanese TV.

New Years is one of the big holidays for the Japanese and is celebrated all month. They do some celebrating on our traditional New Year's Day (solar calendar) and then again with the lunar calendar later in January. They traditionally will clean their houses from top to bottom to start the year with a fresh, clean home  They decorate their doorways and entrances to stores with shimekazari decorations. They are thought to drive away bad spirits and bring good luck for the coming year. They send out New Years cards in the same way we do Christmas cards. The Japanese also give money to the children in decorative envelopes each year according to their age. The kids rack in quite a bit of money each year at New Year's. You can read about many of their traditions here

Their ancestry grave sites are usually visited during New Year to take food to their ancestors. They will also visit their shrines on New Year's Day. We were awoken to Japanese koto music at some of the shrines near our apartment. I sat on the balcony trying to see where the music was coming from but I couldn't determine the source. The Japanese usually have one huge grave site for each family name. They cremate their dead and then place the ashes of each family member into these grave sites. So when they visit the family grave site they are visiting all of the ancestors in one place. You will find these in every neighborhood. They are marked with the family name and usually have places for leaving flowers or burning incense. They are quite elaborate.

It's hard to believe we've already been here for three months. We look forward to moving into our new apartment by the end of the month and finally having all our belongings in one place again. I'm sure the new year will bring much more adventure as we continue to explore this side of the world. I hope you will continue to check into the blog as I post more pictures from Japan. Wishing everyone a very awesome 2016 full of all the things you love.

A Japanese Family Grave

A more elaborate family grave