Christmas season in Japan

[L in Oki]

You might already know, but Christmas is not for a family time in Japan. Then, what do Japanese people do on Christmas day instead? I think that most of Japanese think Christmas is the event for couples. It seems like it is because of some companies advertised like that in the past. Especially, among young people tend to talk about who will you spend Christmas with, and sometimes it could be a check for finding out you have a partner or not…lol (It happens a lot honestly!)

If you are dating with Japanese, they might want to go out to have special Christmas dinner at fancy restaurant. I feel like that a lot of Japanese people eat KFC on Christmas day and you need RESERVATION just for order the fried chicken before a few weeks!! I know that's sounds crazy and it is actually. lol

There are so many illuminations in December and they are so beautiful. It doesn't have to be on the Christmas day, but I like to see illumination at some random hotels! You have to pat some money and it's not so cheep but it's worth to having a romantic night with your favorite person

I'm so curious that how do you guys spend during Christmas holyday in your country. I'm so glad if you leave some comments here!

 

[thomas]

This thread should give you an idea.

M

Thread 'What are y'all gonna do for christmas'

4 Dec 2025

sup guys since its lowk December so I wanna know cuz why not HEH for me I dun rlly know I think my sisters r gonna come well one I dunabt the other HEh maybe eat I dun know though lowk

• MarieCherry
• Replies: 31
• Forum: Serious Topics & Chit Chat

 

[mdchachi]

In the U.S. Christmas is mainly spent at home with family. Opening presents, relaxing, having a home cooked dinner. At least that's what we do.

 

[nice gaijin]

As a somewhat unorthodox American, to put it mildly, I don't really do anything special for Christmas. It's a bizarre amalgamation of traditions pieced together from a variety of religions, pasted over the idea that a kid was born in a barn in the dead of winter. Santa Claus is what you get when you play telephone with a holiday for 20+ generations, none of it makes any sense at all. It's actually so absurd that I've stopped being mad about it and it's so just funny to me now.

Most people consider it a family holiday but I think of it as a kids' holiday. I don't even do presents for anyone nor do I want any.

The closest thing I have to a Christmas tradition is to recite the prayer of Kuntuzangpo on the winter solstice with my friends.

 

[Ukigumo]

As a somewhat unorthodox American, to put it mildly, I don't really do anything special for Christmas. It's a bizarre amalgamation of traditions pieces together from a variety of religions, pasted over the idea that a kid was born in a barn in the dead of winter. Santa Claus is what you get when you play telephone with a holiday for 20+ generations, none of it makes any sense at all. It's actually so absurd that I've stopped being mad about it and it's so just funny to me now.

Most people consider it a family holiday but I think of it as a kids' holiday. I don't even do presents for anyone nor do I want any.

The closest thing I have to a Christmas tradition is to recite the prayer of Kuntuzangpo on the winter solstice with my friends.

I think it was a child's holiday but it's now a retailer's holiday where parents are made to feel guilty unless they spend silly money in their progeny.

This is a famous TV financial expert who often forces the British government to make sensible financial decisions. He airs this every year…

 

[mdchachi]

I think it was a child's holiday but it's now a retailer's holiday where parents are made to feel guilty unless they spend silly money in their progeny.

This is a famous TV financial expert who often forces the British government to make sensible financial decisions. He airs this every year…

He's missing the big picture. What about consumerism? What about the joy in the c-suites when the revenues come in?

 

[johnnyG]

If it falls on a weekday, xmas is both a work day and school day. I don't usually spit into the wind, but that's as it should be in a secular country with separation of church and state.

 

[Ukigumo]

The very best Christmas film which must be watched every year is....'The Bishop's Wife' staring Cary Grant and David Niven. It's so much better than 'It's a Wonderful Life' because it's charming and funny all the way through and has a proper moral (Christian) message of charity running through it whereas IaWL only has that final 'money shot' right at the end and is essentially about the protagonists ego.

'Jingle all the Way' is pretty good too "PUT DOWN THE COOKIE!"

 

[NANGI]

Konnichiwa Mina-san!

We don't celebrate Christmas in our house. It's not because we are Buddhists or Shintoists.

Because December 25th is my mother's birthday.

For children, it's not a day to receive presents, it's a day to give presents.

For my mother, it's a sad day as she turns another year older.

For my father, it's a day of patience as he has to eat a sweet cake that he doesn't like.

This has helped us avoid becoming victims of the commercialism that is known as Christmas. Instead, we became victims of the commercialism that is known as birthdays.

(To begin with, there was no custom of celebrating birthdays in old Japan.)

NANGI

 

[Achilles 1-1]

As a Christian household, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and Christmas, though we celebrate Jesus' birthday the night before, we even sing him happy birthday. We wake and open presents with our immediate family (meaning products and siblings) then we go to our grandma and grandpas house (Mimi and Papa, as we call them) and open presents their with them, our cousins, aunts uncle, great grandma, our great grandpa passed earlier this year, in his 90s. But our great uncle is also there as well! Christmas is both a family and spiritual holiday, and I enjoy it. At the end of it all, we head to our second cousins house. With pretty much the whole extended family and have a big Christmas dinner. (Our second cousins are Catholic, so that's probably why we don't celebrate Christmas morning with them, now that I think about it.)

 

[mdchachi]

The very best Christmas film which must be watched every year is....'The Bishop's Wife' staring Cary Grant and David Niven. It's so much better than 'It's a Wonderful Life' because it's charming and funny all the way through and has a proper moral (Christian) message of charity running through it whereas IaWL only has that final 'money shot' right at the end and is essentially about the protagonists ego.

'Jingle all the Way' is pretty good too "PUT DOWN THE COOKIE!"

Can't be better than Die Hard. The modern Christmas classic.

 

[Ukigumo]

Can't be better than Die Hard. The modern Christmas classic.

A very Christmassy film with a positive, wholesome message for all the family It's just an action film set on a date around Christmas.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

I love "Christmas Vacation" and A Christmas Story" also.

 

[mdchachi]

A very Christmassy film with a positive, wholesome message for all the family It's just an action film set on a date around Christmas.

The more gun fire the more Christmassy it is. At least that's the basic rule in America.

View attachment 133794

In this scene supposedly they released Alan Rickman before the countdown was complete to purposefully surprise him. He said he wasn't acting in this moment.