There are probably two main big events in the life of a Japanese yochien (kindergarten) student: sports club day (undokai), and ongakkai, or their Christmas recital. It was great fun for our family to attend our first (of many to come!) school recitals. We were really impressed with what these teachers are able to do without assistance with a class of 28 four and five year olds! Here are a few snippets. It was fun to watch Owen sing out in Japanese (we cut off the video before the second verse because he didn’t seem to know that verse as well!)

The second song they did was all instrumental- it was so fun to watch these little ones! (Note: his little gestures reaching up at the end were all my fault…he was wearing shorts with suspenders that were too long and kept falling down under his jacket).

One last song- one that we didn’t know…

When he was done, we went to — Starbucks!! — to celebrate.

Last night we had a a birthday/Christmas party for 3 families in our neighborhood. They are all from Owen’s kindergarten, and the 3 moms are studying English with me right now. It was fun because all 4 families have a child with a December birthday, so we made it a combined Chistmas/Birthday party.

The kids had a great time playing together, and it was great to meet the dads/husbands and get to know them all as families. Owen and his close friend from school, Sousuke had a great time running around playing laser tag (with Annie right behind).

I made Christmas tree cupcakes that turned out to be a cake with lots of Christmas trees on it. They were really fun to make (the original idea came from Martha Stewart – hers were all white trees. I made my green with sprinkles for the kids to enjoy more). Here are some simple directions if you need a fun Christmas cake idea:

First buy some ice cream cones…
Make up cake batter…
Take a disposable pie pan, make xs in it with a knife, put pie pan on top of a deep cake dish, and gently push cones through it. Line the inside of each cone with parchment paper. Then pour batter about 2/3s full into each cone. Bake until cake is firm (about 20 minutes or so). Remove from cones and let cool.
If you want to make each tree into an individual cupcake, make some smaller-size cupcakes (using silver cupcake tins) at the same time.

After the cones cool, decorate the cones like christmas tree (I used green icing and small candies). I then stuck them on the end of chopsticks which were in styrofoam to let them dry.

I ended up not making them into cupcakes, but just putting each christmas tree cake on a white iced round cake. (OK- so when I was putting them together they kept leaning! So I went with the cake plan).
It was fun to watch the kids try and eat these VERY green trees…the last photo is Owen and Sousuke cracking up at each others’ green mouths…We all laughed a lot last night — a good time for building friendships.

Today was our third Christmas English Bible Class…thirteen ladies came. We did our English lesson, and then began working on our second Christmas craft –a fabric wreath. Here’s the wreath– it’s fun and fairly painless! I’m enjoying seeing what all the wreaths will look like with different Christmas fabric…

In studying the real story of Christmas, this week we looked at Luke 2:1-7… Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem because of the census…and Mary needing to deliver a baby…and no room in any inns, so they delivered the baby in a manger. A story some of us have heard so many times…

Near the end of the study, the ladies shared with a partner what they’ve learned from this story about God.

Our neighbor friend, Naoko, shared that she always assumed that Jesus’ parents were really poor and that was why he was born in a manger…another friend Naomi said that she always had this image of God that He’s a tyrant and who tells people to go here or go there; to go to heaven or hell. Hearing this story, she was touched to realize that her image of God was wrong. That God became just like us… with an incredibly normal birth….that Jesus actually was a little baby, born in a dirty stable. God became like us, and knows all about the ins and outs of daily life. That is the incarnation. It’s really something to read the Christmas story through the lenses of people who’ve never heard the story, and experience with them the wonder of it all.

Yesterday we had a Christmas party for eight of the children in Owen’s class. My friend Atsuko hosted it…and the event, which started at 11:30 am (they were out early from school) lasted until we were the first to leave after 5 pm! Moms love to hang out, and the kids don’t have any objections. Annie and Olivia had fun too. We did a gift exchange with all the kids, had lots of food, and the kids loved playing together…and seemed to really like the snowmen cupcakes I brought, too…

I loved two particular things about the party:
1) It was the first time that Owen really really seemed to fit in…His Japanese has improved dramatically in the last month– it was fun to watch him run around with swords and play “ghost” games with his friends and really be as one of them.
2) I knew where Atsuko’s spoons belong. I helped her make bibinbap (sp?) for the moms and macaroni and cheese for the kids…it was the fourth or fifth time I had been over. And I knew where she keeps her silverware! (see previous post Golden Fasts). Just as Owen is fitting in more…shared expereinces are helping me to do the same.

We just bought some shortbread cookies the other day that are quintessential Japan. Not the taste – but the name! We get used to seeing English signs and t-shirts everywhere that have little meaning, or relevance, but every once in a while an English name or title catches our eye:

Hmm…Shall we — dance? Shall we — eat shortbread cookies together? Shall we — pretend that we’re in England and not in Japan? The options are nearly endless.

This week there have been a lot of little things that have brought me joy — or at least brought a big smile. Here they are:

SUNDAY: our friend Keiko made my favorite bread for house church. Here’s a picture – any guess what ingredient makes it black? (Answer at the bottom of this entry!)

MONDAY: For the first (and maybe last??) time, I let the kids help me decorate the tree. Owen’s friend Suzuka was here too- Annie, Owen, and Suzuka had fun trying to see how many ornaments they could put within one square foot of each other in the center of the tree; while Olivia tried to see how many she could take down before I could stop her (OK- so next year – make sure that at least Olivia is sleeping when we do this again):

TUESDAY:
Our little friend Nina came over to play with Annie and Olivia. Here they are enjoying dancing like princesses (if you call Annie anything else, like Twinkle Toes or Sweetie, she is quick to remind you that no, she is PRINCESS):

WEDNESDAY:

Two of Owen’s kindergarten friends came over to play with their moms. Here they are playing Power Rangers…and all of them enjoying fruity candy canes…Guess what flavor Olivia chose?

THURSDAY:

I had my second Christmas English Bible/Craft class. It has been so so much fun to teach. The ladies have gotten into the crafts,

but, more importantly, into the Christmas story…This week we studied the message that the angel brought to Joseph, and how he was willing to believe the message because it was brought from an angel of God. One of the women, Keiko, who was at the class for the very first time, exclaimed in japanese, “Wow! This is a true story!” Another friend, Naoko, explained to her that Christians really believe in this story. Later, she said to her conversation partner that she believes that Jesus exists but she still can’t believe in the virgin birth.

These conversations, and my daily morning Advent readings, have made me ponder in new ways the reality of the Incarnation. It really IS amazing. We have heard the story so many times that it has lost its wonder. But to hear it through the ears of Japanese women who have enjoyed the customs of Christmas in this country without any knowledge of its meaning…has made me realize that it really IS an amazing thing. And I think that pondering on what it means to live on a VISITED PLANET makes evangelism at Christmastime especially meaningful. On Thursday my Christian message was much stronger than usual- it is just SO important that they experience and understand the realities that we are so used to.

FRIDAY: Is the day when I thought Eric was coming home from his Japanese pastors’ conference. But he called midway and told me it was actually Thursday night! I told the kids that we had a special guest coming for dinner, so they helped me get the house ready, fully trimmed for Christmas, and I lit as many candles as I could find… When Eric walked in, we all yelled Merry Christmas! and there were squeals of delight as they ran into his arms. This moment was my favorite of the week.

(The bread is made with squid ink, the liquid that squid squirt out! And it IS my favorite. REALLY.)

This past week, several mornings the temperature has been in the thirties (near zero Celsius). Does that change how Owen dresses for kindergarten? Oh, no, it sure doesn’t. Not in Japan! Here’s his fall/winter/spring uniform:

I checked last week if Owen could wear sweatpants on cold days, and I was told by another mom that it is forbidden. She said, “It is going to be hard on our kids for a year or two, but after that they will be much stronger and able to handle the cold.”

So, I can take a little blanket to cover his legs when we bike to school, but that and any jacket needs to stay behind when he goes in the gate.

It is interesting- he has learned how to gargle, which every school child learns how to do to prevent colds. But no long pants for these little boys! (I was told that girls are lucky because they can get away with tights). At least in a year or two he’ll be able to handle the cold….

Today, Advent began in our family.

Advent begins with preparing our home. And, I hope in the process, that it also means I am preparing my heart.

I have a general goal of beginning Christmas preparation the day after Thanksgving. We had a friend visiting, and lots of laundry to finish sorting, so it didn’t happen until today, Sunday, after house church in the late afternoon.

Eric and I pulled everything out of the upstairs closet and the outside shed, and began. Eric will be out of town for a few days, so he worked long after dark getting the outside lights and decorations up. (Some real photos will come later – here’s him at work!)

Although it’s going to take a few days in the midst of our busy schedule to get the tree decorated and everything out of the boxes, it was great fun today to see the kids sense of — awe — as the outdoor lights went up, and various Christmas decor came out of the boxes…

And then…the great joy when they were finally able to watch Frosty the Snowman again, after waiting eleven months for him to emerge out of the Christmas box. (Annie has been asking EVERY DAY for about a month now when Christmas will begin…)

For me, too, there is a sense of wonder as the memories and tangled lights and snowpeople and more memories come out of their stored places. The winking Santa pitcher that my grandmother – now deceased — made a good fifty years ago… the nativity set I brought back from the Dominican Republic while on a short-term missions trip…the individually wrapped ornaments that Eric and I have diligently been finding each year on our December anniversary wherever we might be…so many precious treasures from here and there.

I am thankful to be so surrounded by the wonder of little children this season. But I also recognize that their wonder — and mine as well- may often be misdirected. All of us need help in keeping focus on the REALITY of this season. I am very excited about a book I just received from my friend Mary, called “Watched for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas.” It began yesterday, with daily readings by many wonderful writers and thinkers. This will help, as I will need to choose where I place my wonder; and what I am waiting for.

J.B. Phillips, the New Testament translator, writes about Advent:
“That is why, behind all our fun and games at Christmastime, we should not try to escape a sense of awe, almost a sense of fright, at what God has done. We must never allow anything to blind us to the true significance of what happened at Bethlehem so long ago. Nothing can alter the fact that we live on a visited planet.
We shall be celebrating no beautiful myth, no lovely piece of traditional folklore, but a solemn fact. God has been here once historically, but, as millions will testify, he will come again with the same silence and the same devestating humility into any human heart ready to receive him.”

It’s been a good day. Really. November 23 is a national holiday in Japan, so we celebrated Thanksgiving today, on Friday.

Last night, and today until we left our home before 3, was busy with a lot of cooking prep… We celebrated thanksgiving with a group of 21 friends (14 adults; 7 kids) at the Thomson’s home. Wendi and I both made a turkey so we would have plenty – and we did. (Just for the record – our 17 pound turkey from Costco cost about 45 dollars! But it’s worth it once or twice a year)….I also made a new corn pudding recipe in the crockpot (now posted on my recipe website- it was really delicious and helps doing it in the crockpot when we have tiny ovens and can’t cook more than one thing at a time)..Linda Spier’s always-popular recipe for Vermont Walnut Pumpkin Cheesecake…fried crab wontons, sausage stuffing, and Eric’s gravy. Wendi and others also made lots of great food- it was wonderful; only missing cranberry sauce, which we couldn’t find this year.

Here’s some photo highlights:

Megumi eating the last of the corn pudding:

There was an Elvis sighting…

We love having our friend Becky Johnson, who recently moved to Nagoya, Japan from Florida, stay with us over the weekend. Annie’s loving the attention:

And – we did my favorite Thanksgiving ritual…. the thanksgiving leaves. We started four years ago with a simple idea I found in a family magazine. Each person wrote down what they are thankful for that year on a paper leaf, and we went around and shared these and then hung them on a string…we have done this each year, and laminated the paper leaves afterwards, last year making them into a thanksgiving tree. The leaves continue to spread…and its fun to look back over the past years and remember friends who have been with us and what God has been doing in our midst.
Here is our tree this year, and Eric’s and my leaves (how good are your eyes??)

While much of the day had familiar American flavors, we ended it with a bit more of a Japanese flavor….Rather than watching American football, when we came home we watched — sumo! This weekend is the championship for the fall competition, and Eric had to see who won Friday’s bouts on Sumo Digest.

Give men a good football game or Game Cube and shazam! instant comraderie. What does it take for ladies to create comraderie? This week I’ve had ample opportunities to test and find out more…
Tuesday morning four mom friends from Owen’s school came over to cook with me. They had all come to a summer Italian cooking class taught by a short-term team from Cerritos, California. That day in August we had made homemade meat ravioli; the team gave all of us a similar recipe to make salmon ravioli. Several of us had talked all fall about getting together to make it; it finally happened on Tuesday.
First, let me say- the recipe was SO DELICIOUS. It’s on my recipe blogsite if you click here. After spending two hours cooking, drinking coffee, and enjoying the time together, it was fun to look around our Japanese-style table and see these friends really seeming to have fun. We talked about many things…they were interested in how we discipline our children (time outs always catch them by surprise- they are shocked that our kids will sit on the steps by themselves!). Two of these friends have recently hosted Americans who have been visiting – we keep seeing how that opens up hearts and allows us to get closer.

Yesterday morning my friend Nats. came over in the morning for coffee. We had received our favorite — Kona coffee- from our friends who visited last week, and its also Nats. favorite coffee. Our girls played together, and we caught up over delicious coffee. Ahh – Kona coffee comraderie is the best!
Then, in the afternoon, I went with all three children over to one of Owen’s friends for a playdate. There were 5 moms and their sons (as well as two younger siblings). While I enjoyed the time of watching Owen have a great time being total BOY with his buddies, I noticed that with this group of six women hanging out, comraderie didn’t seem to really be happening. We had different snippets of conversation…but there wasn’t anything really tieing all of us together.
This morning was my first Christmas English Bible/Craft class. Eric and I have been working hard for the past week or so to get together all the craft supplies — OH, if only Michael’s Craft Supply store would come to Japan! It is a five week series, and I wanted to have everything purchased ahead of time.
Even though more than half of the women who have signed up couldn’t come today because of various school commitments, our first class went so well. I am so thankful to Dee Wirz for her great English Bible Study materials – they are fantastic and make teaching easy. Two friends from our neighborhood came who have never attended anything “Christian” before except our cooking classes — but they both really enjoyed the English lesson and studying about Mary’s pregnancy.
The last hour we made snowpeople. Nozomi J. had sent me the idea from familycorner.com. We made some adjustments based on what we can find in Japan, but the results were so cute, and there was great conversation and talking while these friends worked on their crafts. I don’t have photos of the ladies, but I do have our snowpeople:

I love our job…building relationships with people who God brings into our lives, and figuring out how to deepen our friendship and share with them about their Creator who loves them. At the same time, it fills a need in me as a woman to have these friendships. What works for you in building relationships?