We wish you a "Happy" Christmas and a Happy New Year

Season Greetings everyone! As with every passing year, we look back and think about the year that was and certainly 2014 was an exciting one for both Bern and myself. Obviously moving to Japan was huge and it has provided us with some fun opportunities we never before would have imagined. Although it is difficult being away from our loved ones for the first time in our lives, it has also made us realize just how truly blessed we are. Sometimes in life, the things that mean the most to us (family, friends, In-&-out burger, Carne Asada Fries, Carl's Jr, etc... haha) we take for granted. Certainly being able to step away for a bit puts everything into perspective and we are so thankful for everything!

Bern and I were very surprised to find out that Christmas was actually celebrated here in Japan! The Christmas spirit was alive and well evident by all the lights, Christmas trees, and holiday deals at the local malls. Yet, there were some differences I noticed for example, there really wasn't a huge presence of good ol' St. Nick or the real reason for the season; the birth of Jesus. I'm thinking maybe this has to do with the fact that Japanese people are predominantly either Buddhist or Shinto, but still have an affinity for Western culture. Also, instead of saying "Merry Christmas," Japanese prefer to say "Happy Christmas!"

Our first Christmas here in Japan started with Bern and I going to midnight mass on base where we got to hear Ted sing his first solo (Oh Holy Night). During his performance, I couldn't even look at him because he actually took the shape of a unicorn; it was that good! haha (Step Brothers movie) After church, we came home where we ate some arroz caldo (Filipino Congee) that Bern had cooked for the very first time ever. It didn't turn out quite the way she had anticipated but it was a good first attempt nonetheless. Then we opened up some presents and finally went to bed around 4:30am. Thank you once again to everyone for all the Christmas gifts, cards, and well-wishes! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas too!    

The following day, we headed over to the Cariaga's place where we basically ate all day, sang karaoke, and danced! It's true what they say that sometimes the best things in life are free; just hanging out with our family here in Japan was a blast.

 

 

Another interesting fact I learned is that while Christmas is usually a time for family and New Year's a time to go out, it's the total opposite here in Japan. Christmas is typically spent going out with friends while New Years is a time to spend with the family. In fact, many businesses are closed for 3-5 days and some public services (i.e. mail & garbage collection) are stopped in order for people to ring in the year and pay their respects/ pray at the shrines & temples. For our New Year's celebration, Bern cooked up some amazing pancit and an oxtail stew dish that we brought over to the Cariaga's to compliment the de-rishous crab-bake that Ted had made up which consisted of king crab, snow crab, shrimp, sausage, & corn (crab hut style). 

 

Since we didn't have the Dick Clark New Years Eve celebration countdown on TV, we went outside to their balcony ten minutes before midnight to get a birds-eye view of the bay where the fireworks presentation was being held. As we were taking pictures, the fireworks started going off which signified the official start of 2015.

 

On January 1, New Year's Day, we witnessed something totally strange for us native San Dieagans...SNOW! For the first time this year, Yokosuka got it's first snow storm and even though it was short-lived, it was still a pretty cool sight to see. We hope you have a year full of 1st's in 2015...Happy New Year everyone! Love Mark & Bern