We have been having a lot of fun this year getting ready for Christmas. It is funny, the Japanese love Halloween and Christmas and they definitely go all out for both holidays. We are also so excited to have had Grant here this last week to help us celebrate!
The babies both love the doorway jumper so much I had to order a second one! It was as if they each would whine if the other was in it!
On Friday and Saturday we experienced a few flurries! It was so cool for us though because we haven't seen snow in a long time, in fact, Ben has never seen snow. None of the snow stuck but Ben and I went out early Saturday to try to catch a few flakes on our tongues.
You can see a little of it that accumulated behind our house.
Daddy had duty Friday night but when he got home Saturday morning we made him come out and play with us!
On base here there is a gal who writes up things happening around Sasebo each week. Well she mentioned that there was a Santa Claus event happening in the Ginza on Saturday. She said to come down and see lots of people dressed like Santa. From the pictures I could tell that Japanese people put on Santa costumes and walked around. Well I took it that we could also go down there dressed up and have some fun. I bought Ben a costume at the local home store for about $5.00. Notice the "dreamy Christmas" costume and the Japanese boy wearing it. Too funny!
I also got the babies Santa costumes at the exchange. Kawaii!
Ho, ho, ho!
Santa asleep on our way down.
When we got there, no one around was dressed up. I was a bit embarrassed. They have an area set up for Christmas with this bounce house called the "hamster air toy."
Hamster air toy
A few minutes later a band of local school children entered the area in their costumes playing musical instruments.
They handed out candy and had this Christmas Character with them.
The school children singing religious Christmas songs in Japanese!
The Christmas festival in the ginza is called the KiraKira Festival or the Twinkle Twinkle festival (they put up lots of lights.) Well obviously we weren't completely out of place in our Christmas outfits because Ben won a prize of 5000 yen (about $55 Us dollars!) It was a gift certificate to use in the ginza!! It was so cool!
Merry Christmas! The lady who took this picture has six year old Japanese twin girls. They also won a prize.
This little boy wore a Santa outfit that turned into some sort of dolphin outfit. He even had a little cardboard sleigh with reindeer on it.
Ben's pink balloon sword.
His gift certificates!
