Merry Christmas Baby!

And to everyone else too! I was not raised in a Christian household so never celebrated Christmas growing up. In fact, I felt quite left out from the holiday that the entire rest of the world seemed to be celebrating. Then I moved to Japan and found that they celebrate Christmas here in a way that I can relate to; it's not religious, and other foreigners living here tend to get together and celebrate together since they are also without their families. Perfect! So I kind of like celebrating Christmas in Japan as it makes me feel normal.

Last year, Sara was exactly a week old on Christmas and we ordered a pizza from Domino's and Akinori brought home some KFC, MIL got us a tiramisu cake, and sat in front of the TV watching movies. This year no KFC, but pretty much the same celebration. I kind of like it. I don't have to cook, and I don't have to feel guilty about not cooking. Who could ask for anything more?

We got Sara this activity table thing from Fisher Price. It makes lots of noise and Sara seems to love it. We wanted to get her a different one, but it was 1/3 of the price, and of course sold out by the time we got to Toys 'R' Us. So we got the big expensive one instead. Oh well. We're hoping to have lots of kiddies in the future so hopefully it will get well-used.

I got Akinori the DSLR camera he has been wanting for ages and I refused to let him buy. Well I shouldn't say "THE" camera, more like "A" camera. Part of the reason I got it for him was because I could control how much was spent on it, besides that fact that I knew he would just be happy to get one, no matter what model. So I got one from Yahoo Auctions. I think I did pretty well. Not 100% new, but barely used and a recent model, though not the newest. He was thrilled when he opened it, and that's all that matters. That and that it didn't break the bank, though it came close!

Akinori got me a pair of red Wellington boots and an antique gold watch. Both sweet ideas, but definitely not what I would have chosen for me if I was going to buy me a Christmas present. To tell you the truth, I don't know what I would have bought me. I don't really want anything. Maybe some music editing software so that I finally edit music I use when I dance, but I was happy with the boots and watch. I need the boots anyway, living in Nagano, and they are very cute. Some relatively expensive brand. Not too interested in brand name items, but if they keep my feet warm and dry, then I'm happy. I knew about the watch beforehand since Akinori's friend is a jeweler, and had 2 antique watches in his possession that he was willing to sell to Akinori for a very reasonable price, and Akinori asked me which one I preferred about a week ago. I have 3 watches already that I really like, and I don't wear any of them, so why he thought I needed another one, I'm not sure, but again, it's the thought that counts and certainly better than nothing at all.

I kind of knew about the boots too since he asked me my shoe size the other day, and I don't even remember the reason he gave it was so lame. He's always going on about how I need proper snow boots though, so I figured it out pretty easily.

So Christmas has been pretty uneventful, which is fine by me. To tell you the truth, I'm glad it's over and we can get on with the Shogatsu festivities. That's more my cup of tea. Akinori's oldest younger sister will be coming from Saitama tomorrow with her two kids, and her husband will joining later, so lots of family get togethers while they're here. I love his family, and I love when we all get together, so I am really looking forward to the next week or two.

Then we're going to Kyushu from the 4th to the 7th to visit my homestay sister and
her family. I hope it's a few degrees warmer there than it is here. We get one night in a hotel in Fukuoka with our plane tickets, but we're not going to use it. Such a waste. Oh well. We'd have Sara with us anyway, so not all that much of a hotel worthy vacation, and I think we'll actually get more relaxation by staying at my homestay family's house because there will be so many people eager to play with Sara.

Akinori and I have been doing our best to produce more offspring, and I wish there was a way of knowing if you're pregnant or not like two days after the deed rather than waiting for your next period. I think I might be, but I guess we have to wait another week or 2 before we know for sure. My temperature has been elevated the last few days, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up until I miss my period.

And I think that's really all there is to say at the moment. Akinori is off designing the nengajo at the moment. We're totally late with this, and I'm trying to stay out of his way because it will only cause an argument if I put my 2 cents in. Remember in "When Harry Met Sally" when Carrie Fisher tells Bruno Kirby, "Everybody thinks they have good taste, but they couldn't possibly all have good taste." That pretty much sums up our relationship and the cause of 85% of our fights. It was easy last year when Sara was only a week old when we made the nengajo and there were only 100 or so pictures to choose from. Now there are 7000! Yes, that's right folks. My snap happy husband has taken roughly 7000 photos of our daughter in the first year of her life. And of course we absolutely cannot agree on which photo to use, so I have stopped caring.

Well I suppose I should put the computer away and get more stuff done while Sara is still napping. Have a great Boxing Day!