World Moms Blog

Christmas in Japan is pretty much an unadulterated Gimmee Fest. Santa is everywhere, baby Jesus? って誰？Who’s that? I like to call it Christmas, Inc.

A good comparison would probably be the American version of Valentine’s Day. I mean, sure, there’s a religious tradition in there somewhere, but it’s been so warped that now it’s really just a chance for kids to exchange cards and yours truly to eat too much chocolate. (Valentine’s Day in Japan is totally backwards, but I’ll save that for February.)

Here most people celebrate Christmas on the evening of the 24th. They eat fried chicken and “Christmas Cake,” which is usually a strawberry and whipped cream topped vanilla sponge.  Interestingly enough, Kentucky Fried Chicken (known in Japan simply as Kentucky) is strongly associated with Christmas. Read more…

Putting up the Christmas tree is more than just a holiday task for our family, it is a trip down memory lane. Collecting ornaments over the years remind us of family we love, major events in our lives, places we have been.

My husband and I put up our first tree together a few months after we started dating – that was 13 years ago. We had no ornaments! So being crafty (I am not artistic, but I am crafty), I decided we should “make” ornaments. So we opened some beers, bought some glitter, glue, and paint, and went to work. During our project, we got silly and put glitter on one of the empty beer cans – the glittery can still hangs on our tree every year.

Years later, as we hang the ornaments, I like to talk about how each ornament became part of our collection. It is like a game show – I say: “Remember this one?…” but only I seem to know the answer.

We have a memorable collection that gets a little bigger each year. Here are some of my favorites: Read more…

In Poland preparations for Christmas are huge. Unlike the U.S., they do not rely on excessive buying gifts for yourselves, or all of your family and friends. They do not rely on competitions of showing off how richly we are able to decorate our house and Christmas tree.

In Poland we decorate our Christmas Tree on the morning of Christmas Eve or the day before. Sometimes, the week before (which is rather a new tradition), but not earlier than that. In Poland we keep the tree up till 6th January – the day when the Three Kings arrived to Bethlehem, but in some homes it is kept longer, sometimes even till the end of the carnival.

On top of the tree Poles usually put a glass star to represent the star which led the Kings to Bethlehem.

Presents are opened after the Christmas Eve meal. It might vary in every household, but in general that’s the rule. Poles teach their kids that christmas gifts are brought by Baby Jesus, Angel, Star (we start our Christmas Eve supper when a first star lights up in the sky), Father Christmas, Grandfather Frost, Saint Nicholas or simply by Santa Claus.

Preparing for Christmas is, above all, a thorough cleaning of the entire house. Read more…

As the holidays approach, we asked our World Moms Blog writers to…

“…tell us about a holiday/cultural tradition that you are excited
about sharing with your child(ren) this year.”

Check out what some of our World Moms had to say…

Kyla P’an of Massachusetts, USA writes:
“There are two things I get really excited about each year:
1. setting out our family creche. We add one piece each night until Christmas Eve, saving the baby. On Christmas morning, baby Jesus magically appears and the kids get excited about discovering him there.
2. Advent calendars, my mom has devotedly given me an advent calendar every year of my life for the past 39 years and now she sends them to my kids too…this year we have a chocolate one and a Playmobile one to look forward to.” Read more…

This week’s Friday Question comes from World Moms Blog writer Maggie Ellison of South Carolina, USA. She asked:

“What are your religious views and how are they (or how are they not) a part of your life?”  

Here’s how the World Moms answered in order as the responses came in…

Eva Fannon of Washington, USA writes:
“I am Roman Catholic and my husband is an atheist…which makes life interesting. Ever since I’ve had kids, I don’t go to church as regularly as I would like, but I have baptized both of my girls. (And yes, my husband attended both ceremonies and didn’t get struck down by lightning when he entered the church — LOL!)” Read more…

I appreciate Christmas this year, I REALLY do, even if it’s more of the secular parts. Decorating the house and gathering with friends and family — I really look forward to these.  But, I couldn’t say the same for the past two Christmases, and there is more to why this year the holiday will be extra-special for me…

You see, the past two years at Christmas I was grieving, grieving the loss of numerous early pregnancies, and I was a little lost in the empty feeling inside of me.  It was really difficult to avoid the topic of baby when you’re celebrating a holiday that revolves around, well…the birth of a baby. Read more…