Christmastime is here

Hey everyone!

First, I should update you all on what's happening next year: I'll be coming home, and I'm super pumped about it! My current contract was extended just a wee bit, to April 10th instead of the 1st, but I was not offered a contract for another year at USJ. Of course I was a bit disappointed not to receive an offer of any kind, as no performer ever enjoys getting a "no." In all honestly though I wasn't sure whether or not I would have accepted one had I been offered anyway, especially if it was for the same role. I think doing the same show five times a day, five days a week for ten months is already kinda nuts, and more than doubling that might have made my head explode. I would have been more tempted to stay with a new role in a different show, but everyone in the Frog Choir was either offered more of the same or nothing at all. Staying another year would have been a good safe option, especially financially, but I'm not sure my heart would have really wanted me to stay. I was pretty relieved that the decision was made for me, and I'm sure by April I'll be so thrilled to board a plane back the states and see my family and friends back home.

I haven't left yet though, and my flight home is still four months away, so let's get back to my adventures here in Japan. As it does in the states, late November and all of December means that Christmas is coming here in Japan. With Japan being a mostly Buddhist nation, I wasn't expecting Christmas to be a big deal here, but decorations are everywhere, stores are having sales, and a lot of the guests at USJ come to the park dressed in Santa outfits or other Christmas-y costumes. There is even a German Christkindlmarkt near the Umeda Sky Building that a friend and I decided to check out one evening earlier this week.

The Colonel is in the Christmas spirit

I'm not sure how popular it actually is, but I've heard that a lot of people in Japan get KFC for dinner on Christmas

We started the evening with a little ice skating (not real ice, some sort of weird plastic, but still fun)

They had mulled wine (in heart-shaped mugs! d'awwwww)

There were actual Germans running these things, not sure if they just come seasonally or live here, but the exchange went a little bit like this: "Arigato gozaimasu. I mean... thank you! I mean... Danke!"

It's not a German Christmas market without bratwursts and pretzels

I'd imagine Japan's interest in Christmas is all about the commercial/secular aspect, but they even had a manger display

Mason made me stand on the lower step so he didn't feel so short

Santa!!!!!

I treated myself to a gingerbread snowman

Look, I'm from Chicago, and trust me, we are not known for our Butter Chicken soup. And I'm pretty sure France isn't known for their corn soup either, BK Japan.

Found in a little shop in Amerika Mura

Also in Amerika Mura. Yeah I'd say this shirt is a good representation of people in the U.S.

I haven't been doing any traveling outside of Osaka lately, but I feel okay about that as the holidays are a bit crazy, even when you're off in a foreign country. Plus, I'll be going to Tokyo in early January, with my FAMILY! My dad, stepmom, and little bro fly into Japan just after Christmas and are going to be here for New Years and then flying out on January 7th, and I'm so incredibly excited to see them again and to show them this crazy, amazing, totally-different-to-what-they're-used-to country. I'm so grateful that they're traveling all that distance, taking all that time, and spending all that money to come here, as I know it isn't easy for all of that to work out, and I can't wait for them to have two weeks that they'll never forget.