bucket in the fridge

...seeing our cleaning bucket in the fridge was certainly a strange moment for our friend, yoko-san...but that was part of the fun in hosting this year's christmas party for our japanese church family...

...there were elements of our party distinctively japanese, like designating an emcee (reluctantly, me) and making him wear the appropriate sash...

...there were elements distinctively american, like the santa and stockings motif...

...even morohashi-san, our reserved language helper, got caught up in the mood...

...new to the american twist on gift exchanges, our gakuentoshi chapel family enjoyed "relieving" one another of certain gifts...poor mikiko-san (below left), who was "relieved" of her gift three times...


...bath products are keepers...

...back to the bucket in the fridge...inside was this fellow bathing in brine...

...claire impressed our japanese friends by doing an excellent job with the turkey (thanks takamotos for getting it and other things for us!!!)...with chopsticks set to eat turkey, cranberry sauce and japanese-yummy rice, we sat down to a wonderful meal that reflected both sides of the pacific...

...much of the vitality of japanese churches is because of women who are so devoted to God...that's true of gakuentoshi chapel...claire with her growing sisterhood...

::: merry christmas from our family to yours :::