Oh it’s December now!
For those with children, it’s school holiday time😅😵 I wonder how everyone will spend time in this season.
In the times of the pandemic, apart from that, our family used to return to my home country, Japan, every year.
However, this year, there’s a discussion about going back during the cherry blossom season (since the children have never seen cherry blossoms), so the winter return is postponed.
Now, what should we do during this season? While a few days for family outings or short trips are possible, as parents, we have work and budget constraints, so we want to make the most of our time at home.
The “Creating individual rooms” from the previous article was quite an event for our family.
Now, with the major rearrangement inside the house almost done, we’re organizing rooms while preparing for the year-end and New Year’s cleaning.
Since that is likely to be finished in a few days… Alright, let’s decorate the Christmas tree next!
I love Christmas trees. It’s strange because, despite that, I’m not a Christian; I’m a Buddhist, and quite a deep one, I think.
Such religious views of Japanese people may seem a bit peculiar to those outside Japan.
In Japan, the concept of Christmas, celebrating the birth of the son of God, hasn’t deeply penetrated. Of course, for Christians, it’s different, but for others… The general image is more about spending time with a significant other. Christmas dinner, presents, and the city adorned with romantic illuminations are filled with couples. There are words like, “I need to find a partner by Christmas!” floating around.
In contrast, in Malaysia, it seems to be a “day to spend with family.” Many Western countries also have such a perspective, I guess.
It’s interesting how it varies by country.
In our home, Christmas is a family day!
As a Buddhist(Me) and a free thinker(husband), we still celebrate Christmas as an event.
The children let Santa know what they want in advance, write letters (parentes secretly go to buy those gifts), and eagerly wait together, saying, “We don’t know if you’ll get a present if you fight.”
Personally, I would like a brand-new sofa in our living-room since our adorable cat use it for his nail polishing 😂