Christmas! The best day of the year.

Had my first "real" Japanese Christmas today (4th time's the charm). KFC, Christmas Cake, and friends. It was a great day spent at the apartment of some of my best friends. It's been a big year for them; they got married and had their first child. I was happy to be able to spend his first Christmas with them, and look forward to more.

I also got to introduce a few friends to some Christmas classics. A few of them hadn't seen A Christmas Story, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (they're not American, so I let it go) nor A Muppet Christmas Carol. Christmas being my favorite time of year, I was more than happy to share these gems with them. Also shared a Polish tradition (at least I think it's Polish. We've been doing it forever in my family) of oplatki (unleavened bread, like communion wafers before they've been blessed). Say what you're thankful for from the past year, what you wish for the next year, then break off a piece and pass it around. Goes great with honey.

All in all, a great day.

(And taking a cue from a friend, adding songs to the post)
Song of the day: "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives