Ah, I'm glad the weather is mild where you are now! I don't expect any sympathy from you but LA has been unseasonably cold lately!! It's hovers below freezing point at night!

Your pictures look great! You really make me crave for me now.

I knew about Xmas in Japan - it's quite similar in China where people celebrate it just for the sake of celebrating it. The lunar new year's, which Japan now replaced with the solar new year's, is a much bigger deal, likewise. =)

Hope all is well! Merry Christmas!