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Just before New Year’s, I returned to England, for Christmas. I got to London, early on Christmas Eve, and, just like you might expect for England… it started to rain!
This year, I was excited to participate in British Christmas traditions, such as decorating the tree, putting presents underneath on Christmas morning, and pulling Christmas crackers – a game played during the main meal at Christmas time. Two people have a “tug-of-war” with these long, cardboard tubes, with prizes inside. The winner is the person with the longer length of cardboard, after the cracker “cracks” and the small amount of explosives inside are detonated, making a bang. It’s great fun, with Christmas dinner in the afternoon, with the people you love, having exchanged gifts.
This Christmas, I bought a little bit of Ishikawa back with me to England. Because very few Japanese people live in the UK, there is very little exposure to Japanese culture. No-one in my family has ever tried Japanese sake, for example! I hope you all had a safe and happy New Year, and that 2020 will be prosperous for you all. In most of Britain, New Year's isn't such a significant event, however, in Scotland, where my grandfather (the man holding baby Jacob in the photo) is from, it is a real party! He would always say "Lang mayyer lum reek" - a traditional Scottish New Year's greeting, which means "May you never run out of fuel for your hearth!"
