Christmas preparations

Christmas programs are winding down.

In my English classes we are making decorations, in the kindergarten and pre-school there are plays and songs.













At church I got to lead last Sunday's worship service. That is a mis-cast part if anything! I do not read Japanese well and stumble along like a child with a primer...

Today and tomorrow I'm knitting (got to the collar last night!) and making cookies for the Christmas Eve service. Non-Christians in Japan are sending out New Year's cards (mine are made, just not addressed) and doing major house cleaning. Maybe I'll skip house cleaning this year

*****

For our 2002 New Year's card I didn't have too much hope for our family picture. No one was cooperating with the idea of posing (make that Takumi...) and it seemed like we were destined for just animal pictures. Poor Shoko got the job of being festive (that dog NEVER looked festive. She always looked like Eeyore) and the cats got their picture taken while they plotted against birds on the other side of the window.

BUT a friend took this one and only picture of us in the yard one evening and it was either this picture or none. Look at the scull and crossbones on Takumi's chest! How Christmasy is that?!!!

"Tetsu, we CAN'T use this picture for our New Year's card!"

"This is what our family is like this year so no sense being embarrassed about it."

I compromised by using a smaller version of the picture and leaving lots of writing space below.